The Thief and the Wolf
by Found-In-Reverie
Summary: A thief is tasked with stealing the fabled axe Wuuthrad from the Companions. Will she succeed? Or will a certain tall, dark and broody warrior steal her heart instead? Vilkas/FBreton O/C
1. Loud and Clear

Spoilers warning: This story will contain some Main Quest, Companion Quest and Thieves Guild quest spoilers. Will deviate from the game story. Some game dialog is reused.

Other warnings: The story will contain bad language, violence and eventually sexual situations. Rated M for a reason. Also, I am a rank amateur when it comes to story writing, this is just for fun!

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><p>Mercer Frey glared from behind his desk and sneered, "Well, well, back so soon ladies? And what's this I hear? You couldn't fucking manage to burn down three beehives without getting your asses kicked. I expected another failure from Lily, but I'm surprised at you Vex. Who was it that said you were our best infiltrator? Oh wait, it was you!"<p>

Vex turned beet red and clenched her fists at Mercer's words. Nearly half of the Thieves Guild members were in the Cistern tonight watching these two get chewed out.

"Mercer, don't blame Vex on this one," Lily explained. "I was seen by a guard when we were in the Goldenglow Estate. He turned the corner right into me. It was bad luck plain and simple…"

Vex opened her mouth as though she were about to protest. Lily gave her a firm look to silence her. They were both caught by the guard, but Lily reasoned that she could suffer the stigma of a job gone wrong better than Vex could. Lily already had a reputation for bad jobs. No need for both of them to suffer Mercer's wrath.

"Bad luck seems to follow you wherever you go Lily," Mercer interrupted. "It's a shame the rest of us have to pay the price, like poor Lokir."

Lily's temper flared at the mention of her dead friend. Her plan to remain calm under the Guild Master's scrutiny fled. "Luck had nothing to do with that!" Lily protested. " Lokir decided to make a run for it while the Imperial soldiers had their bows out. The alternative was getting our heads chopped off. Can you blame him?"

Mercer gave her a cold look. "I don't blame Lokir at all, I blame you. It was obviously your incompetence that got you into that mess."

Lily couldn't respond. She would not drag Lokir's name under the cart now that the poor sod was dead. Lokir was a horse thief before he joined the Thieves Guild of Riften. While on their way to a burglary job in the South, they stumbled upon a Stormcloak encampment. Lokir could not resist liberating one of their horses. It was bad luck that the Imperials made their ambush upon the Stormcloaks just as Lokir and Lily were making their escape. The Imperials took them into custody along with everyone else.

"I see you have nothing else to say for yourself Lily?"

"I'm ready to pay whatever penalty the Guild sees fit for my failure," Lily replied in defeat.

"I see. Very well, as of this moment you are removed from the Guild," Mercer replied.

"What? You can't do that!" Vex yelled.

Mercer shot a warning glare at Vex. Lily placed a shaking hand on her friend's shoulder to calm her. Lily was terrified of Mercer's pronouncement. The Thieves Guild had been her home and family since the day she was turned out of Honorhall Orphanage at age 15. Several years later, it was impossible for her to imagine any other life.

"Mercer, please. I can still be of value to the Guild. Surely there is some way we can work out a deal?"

Mercer took his time to answer her, toying with a glass paperweight on his desk. He enjoyed seeing the mousy little Breton woman squirm. Finally he said, "It goes against my better judgment, but I will give you another chance."

Lily sighed in relief.

"Here's the deal. We received a contract from a patron who wants Wuuthrad, the fabled axe of Ysgramor. The axe is housed at Jorrvaskr, headquarters of the Companions in Whiterun. Bring the axe to me and I will reinstate you to the guild."

"So, I steal this axe from the Companions and you promise to reinstate me? Seems reasonable enough." Lily shrugged.

"What's the catch?" Vex asked, her amber eyes narrowing on the Guild Master.

Mercer placed a hand over his heart and said, "My dear Vex, your suspicion wounds me. Lily just needs to complete the contract without botching the job or getting herself killed by the Companions. Personally, my bets are on the Companions."

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><p>Vex and Lily left the Cistern and stopped at the Ragged Flagon where they were greeted by Brynjolf.<p>

"Ladies, You look like you could use a drink," He said, placing a bottle Blackbriar mead into each of their hands.

"Have we told you how much we love you?" Lily asked, taking a swig of the mead. "My thanks Bryn. Mercer just kicked me out of the Guild."

"What! I can't believe this! I'll speak with him lass. I'll convince him to work something out."

"Thanks, but there's no need. Mercer gave me a job." Brynjolf listened as Lily told him about her mission to steal Wuuthrad.

"I don't like the sound of this," Brynjolf said with concern.

"Maybe he's just hoping I get myself killed. You heard him Vex, his bets are on the Companions kicking my ass."

"Just be careful Lily," Vex warned. "I don't like it, but taking this axe job may be the best thing. You'll be out of Mercer's sight for a while and he'll have time to cool off. Lay low for a while and let us work on him. We'll get you back in."

"I'm actually looking forward to this. Travel, fresh air, no grumpy Guildmaster to look over my shoulder. And Vex, don't sass him too much while I'm gone. He'll give you all the shit jobs, trust me."

"Well, someone's got to do them while you're away lass," Brynjolf grinned.


	2. Destiny Averted

Whiterun Hold was in the glory of an early spring. The only snow to be seen was on the majestic peaks of the surrounding mountains. Wildflowers of purple, red and blue grew at the sides of the road. Farmers were outside tending their fields in the mild weather. Beyond the farms, stood Whiterun's ancient stone wall and the buildings huddled protectively inside. Rising above it all, Lily could see the high pointed rooftops of Dragonsreach Palace.

In the distance, Lily observed a hooded, robed figure headed in her direction. She cursed as she recognized him. Out on the open road she had nowhere to hide.

His eyes widened when he saw her "You!" he exclaimed. His robes flapped behind him as he ran over to her.

"Please, tell me you have returned to Whiterun to deliver me the Dragonstone."

"Farengar." Lily greeted him. "Nope. Sorry. No stone. I've been busy lately."

He stared at her in disbelief, "You don't have it yet? It's been three months! What part of "High Priority to the Jarl" did you not understand! By Julianos, I am plagued with fools!"

Lily rolled her eyes and replied, "You said the stone might or might not be in that barrow. I told you I might or might not get around to retrieving it."

The usually cool Farengar wrung his hands in distress, "You don't understand, there is much at stake!"

Lily guessed that it was Farengar's precious research at stake.

She shrugged, "It's been months since my ordeal at Helgen, and I've heard nothing of any other dragon attacks."

Farengar explained, "There have been no dragon attacks yet, but it's only a matter of time. I've heard this from very reliable sources. Please, this matter demands your aid."

Lily had never been more terrified in her life than that day in Helgen. She never wanted to see another Dragon, EVER again. She already warned the Jarl and gave him Riverwood's request for troops. Beyond that, they were asking too much.

"NO." she said and started to walk away.

Farengar was furious. "When fire and destruction rains down upon the land, I hope you remember this day. The day you refused to help avert the disaster before it began! It's all going to be on you!" He yelled.

She spun around and pointed a gloved finger in Farengar's face. "I don't care what you say! I won't get messed up in this Dragon shit of yours!"

After her roadside screaming match with the court mage, Lily turned her attentions to more important matters. This was going to be a difficult job. She knew that Mercer gave it to her expecting that she would fail. She needed an excuse to get into Jorrvaskr to case the place. Lily would start by asking the locals what they knew of the Companions. One way or another, she would return to Riften with Wuuthrad. She couldn't wait to hand the Axe to Mercer and wipe the smug look off his face. She wasn't going to let him keep her from her home and friends in the Guild.

Lily's contemplation was shattered by the sound of battle.

In a farmer's field about 50 yards away, there were two women and a man fighting an enormous grey-skinned giant.

Lily unsheathed her bow and nocked an arrow. Time seemed to slow as she drew back the bowstring and let the arrow fly. A second later she heard the giant bellow and saw him grab the side of his head. The arrow must have been like a fleabite to this massive creature. Nevertheless, the distraction was enough to make him drop his tree-sized club. The three warriors took the opportunity to go on the offensive. Lily watched in awe as the man swung his greatsword in a deadly arc that slashed through the Giant's chest cavity. The creature went down with a roar and crashed to the ground.

Lily jogged over to the group to check out the giant. She'd never seen one so close before.

The three warriors regarded her with curiosity.

One of the women approached Lily, striding gracefully with a bow at her side. She had long red hair, steel-gray eyes and stripes of warpaint across her lovely face.

"I greet you. I am Aela of the Companions. And who might you be?"

"I'm Lily."

Aela looked at the fallen giant and noted Lily's arrow sticking out of its ear.

"You handle yourself well Lily. You could make for a decent Shield-Sister. If you ever consider joining us, seek us out at Jorrvaskr. Kodlack Whitemane is our Harbinger. The old man's got a good sense for people. He can look in your eyes and tell your worth."

With that, Aela turned and walked towards Whiterun. The other woman greeted Lily, introducing herself as "Ria" before following closely after Aela.

"Hi, I'm Farkas."

Lily turned around to be greeted by the man who made the killing blow upon the Giant. The handsome Nord had long black hair and ice blue eyes enhanced by dark warpaint. Nord men always looked big to Lily, but this guy was huge. The last time she'd seen muscles that big she was looking at a statue of some god.

"I'm Lily!" She blurted. "But I guess you heard that when I introduced myself to Aela. Anyhow, you and the giant out there…that was amazing." She said awkwardly.

Farkas smiled and answered in his deep baritone, "Thanks. Good to meet you too. I hope we'll see you back at Jorrvaskr. It gets pretty boring there sometimes and it would be nice to have a new face around."

Lily watched Farkas jog off to join the others, his impossibly broad shoulders and muscular back receding into the distance. How could those women fight with such a distraction in their midst?

Lily laughed and shook her head. "By Nocturnal's black knickers, what in Oblivion just happened?" There must be a 1000 to 1 chance that she would bump into the Companions on the road and get an invitation to their meadhall. Lily immediately sent a more respectful prayer of thanks to Nocturnal. The Daedric Princess had been a little thin on the luck blessings these days, but it couldn't hurt to let her know they were appreciated.


	3. Taking Up Arms

_Thanks so much to everyone who left reviews and added me to their fave or watch list. You've encouraged me to keep trying! _

_Edit: Chapter re-written on Sept 2nd. Let me know if you like it :)  
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><p>Lily stood on the stone steps and looked up at Jorrvaskr, admiring the unusual overturned ship that formed its roof. According to legend, this meadhall was built more than 3000 years ago from the ship sailed by Jeek of the River, one of Ysgramor's captains. She'd taken a few days to speak to the locals and learn something of the Companions and their history. As an organization, they were descended from Ysgramor's original 500 Companions, who drove the elves from Skyrim in days of old. They were an ancient order of warriors who now fought for both honor and coin.<p>

She felt a little nervous as she entered the imposing building through one of its great carved double doors.

As she stepped inside, her attention was taken by an auburn haired Dunmer male who was having a conversation at the table in front of the fire pit.

"I'm just saying…that job would have gone a lot more smoothly if you hadn't been swimming in ale." He addressed a strong looking woman clad in hide armor who stood a few paces away with a mug in hand. Underneath her tight-fitting hide helmet a pair of amber eyes glared at the elf, made fiercer by the streaks of red warpaint across her cheekbones.

"What's your problem Athis? We finished the damn contract, and on time too," She replied. "Besides, I fight ten times better drunk than you do sober." She smirked.

"I'm not denying your skill and we finished the job. But your moves were as graceful as a horker on a dance floor, as balanced as a one-legged guar, as-."

"Somebody slap me the next time I agree to go on a job with you!" She cut him off. Her expression was furious, but then there was a gleam of mischief in her eye.

"Not only can I fight better than you when I've had a drink, you'll find I've got better aim too…" She said.

With that she threw her mug at his head. Athis uttered an oath as the mug ricocheted off of his head to bounce and spin off the table in Lily's direction.

Lily cursed and dodged the mug, but not before being showered by a spray of Ale.

"That's it, I've had enough of you Njada!" The Dunmer yelled, rising to his feet.

"Oh yeah, let's see if you can punch me little boy!" The Njada taunted with a grin. She had her fists raised.

Just like that, the brawl was on. As they exchanged insults and punches, the others ran over to watch the show, offering either encouragement or jeers.

The Companions were so preoccupied with the fight that no one seemed to notice Lily's arrival. She made a quick assessment of her surroundings.

There were ample opportunities for a burglar to gain entry or exit here. There were two sets of double doors on both the front and back of the building. Multiple windows cast light into the hall and there was a hole in the ceiling to vent the firepit.

She had to admit, the dining hall looked warm and cosy. The dark carved wood of the interior looked well oiled and cared for. Surrounding the central firepit was a long table laden with food and mead. There were deer heads and animal skins on the walls. Rich tapestries hung from the rafters and woven carpets decorated the floors.

The fight ended with the Nord woman, Njada, as the clear victor. Aela turned her attention away from the brawl and noticed Lily standing in the doorway.

"Oh, it's you!" Aela said. "I see you took my advice to heart. Sorry you had to see this. Honestly, we aren't always trying to kill each other."

Aela called Farkas over. "Farkas, you remember Lily from our fight with the giant the other day? Could you take her downstairs to meet with Kodlak? I'm going to see if I can talk sense into Athis and Njada." Aela ran over to help the vanquished Dunmer off the floor.

Farkas gave Lily a smile and spoke in that deep baritone of his, "Welcome to Jorrvaskr. Looks like you picked a good day to stop by. We don't usually get this much excitement. Follow me, and I'll take you down to see the Harbinger."

She followed Farkas to the stairway at the end of the hall. As Lily began to descend the stairs, something flashed in her peripheral vision. She looked up and saw a collection of metal pieces artfully arranged and tacked on the wall. The light from the firepit caused them to glimmer.

"So, what's this artwork you've got on your wall?" Lily asked.

"Artwork?" Farkas frowned in confusion. "Oh, that's just Wuuthrad, or what's left of it."

"That's Wuuthrad?" Lily breathed out. She stared at the metal shards in disbelief, her heart pounding.

Silently, she cursed Mercer to the 9 hells of Oblivion and back again. He must have known all along the axe was in this condition. The sneaky bastard gave her an impossible task!

Unaware of her distress, Farkas continued, "Yeah, that was the ancient axe of Ysgramor. Some of the pieces are still missing. We've been looking for em so we can fix it."

"Can the axe be repaired?" Lily asked.

"I'm not sure, but if anyone can do it our smith Eorlund Gray-Mane can. He may be the best in all of Skyrim."

So there was some hope. For now, she would join the Companions and bide her time. Gods willing, the fragments of Wuuthrad would be found and re-forged. She was afraid to think about how long the process might take.

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><p>The lower level of Jorrvaskr held the companion's living quarters and was constructed of sturdy gray stone. The long central hallway had a vaulted ceiling and numerous adjacent bedrooms. The Companions made the area warm and inviting with comfortable furniture, colorful rugs and the bright light of candles.<p>

Farkas pointed to the end of the hallway. "Kodlak's quarters are down there. Good luck."

As Lily walked towards Kodlak's quarters she saw two men seated at a table within. Both wore finely etched steel armor with a wolf's head device on the chestplate. Dark wolf-fur kilts complimented the ensemble. The Nord seated on the right was a battle-scarred elder with a long mane of gray hair. Kodlak, no doubt. When Lily saw the handsome, dark haired man sitting across from Kodlak, she did a double-take. He was the mirror image of Farkas. The man had shorter hair and a slightly smaller build, but the resemblance was unmistakable. The two had to be twins.

The men were so deep in conversation that they hadn't noticed her yet. The brother of Farkas seemed deeply troubled by something. His brow was furrowed and she could read the conflict in his ice-blue eyes. Lily wondered what could be so wrong.

Kodlak looked up as Lily approached. "A stranger comes to our hall," The old man said.

She addressed Kodlak. "Greetings. My name is Lily. I'd like to join the Companions," She pronounced.

"Would you now? Here, let me have a look at you," Kodlak replied.

Great, another ambitious visitor here to waste our time, Vilkas mused. His frown deepened as he sniffed. Was that ale he smelled on her? Ysmir, not another Torvar, he thought.

She was nothing to look at. Her leather armor was old and worn, with baggy pants stuffed into clunky boots. The set was ill-fitting, as though she stole it from someone larger than herself. Vilkas cast a suspicious glance at the vials, tools and lockpicks on her belt. She had unkempt brown hair tied back from an unremarkable face. Her brown eyes held a spark of defiance in them as she glared back at Vilkas, daring him to say she wasn't good enough.

Too many wannabe warriors thought they could just swagger in and join. These hopefuls usually didn't measure up, either because they lacked strength and skill, or they had no concept of honor. Vilkas believed this short, skinny woman would be no different from the rest.

As Kodlak assessed her with his kind pale blue eyes, Lily had the uncomfortable feeling that he could see her secrets, and that he was peering into her very soul.

"Hmm," Kodlak said, leaning back in his chair. "Yes, perhaps. I sense a certain strength of spirit in you."

Vilkas was stunned. "Harbinger, surely you're not considering this girl. She hardly looks strong enough to lift a blade let alone win a battle. She has the look of a rogue or bandit!"

"I'm a former Thieves Guild member if you must know, from Riften," Lily answered irritably. Shit. She hadn't planned on this confession, but she didn't appreciate the dark haired man comparing her to a common bandit.

"A former Thieves Guild member?" Kodlak asked. He raised a gray eyebrow at that.

She shrugged. "Yes. I didn't see eye to eye with our Guild Master."

"So, you have problems with authority," Vilkas challenged.

"Authority had a problem with me," She answered curtly.

"And now you think you can just wander in here and join us?" Vilkas asked.

Kodlak intervened. "Vilkas, last I checked we had empty beds at Jorrvaskr for those with a fire burning in their hearts." He turned to Lily and asked, "How are you in battle girl?"

"I manage to stay alive."

Vilkas made a grunt of disbelief.

Kodlak nodded seriously, but his eyes held a spark of amusement. "Fair enough, girl. This is Vilkas. He will test your arm. Vilkas, take her out to the yard and see what she can do."

"Aye," Vilkas answered in resignation. "Alright whelp, wait for me outside in the training yard."

Lily nodded respectfully to Kodlak and glared at Vilkas as she left.

When Lily was out of earshot Vilkas said, "Harbinger, you can't be serious. She admitted she was from the Thieves Guild! Who knows why she is really here? How can she be trusted? Also, considering what's going on in the Circle right now, is it wise to bring a stranger into all of this?"

The old man smiled patiently and said, "Vilkas, she would not be the first rogue ever accepted into the Companions. If Ysgramor had been so rigid, do you believe he would have had 500 to accompany him on The Return? Do not be concerned. If the girl proves herself unworthy, we will simply let her go. As for your other question, I have a feeling she may yet have an important part to play. Do not ask me anymore, nor question my judgment boy. Go and test her."

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><p>Lily took in the view of the Companion's practice area. Jorrvaskr's doors opened out onto a large stone patio furnished with benches and tables. In front of the patio was a small paved exercise yard bordered by Whiterun's eastern wall. A few training dummies stood at the ready, some in bad need of repair. Beyond the wall, the massive ice-capped mountains of Skyrim rose into the sky.<p>

Lily turned to see Vilkas arrive. In his wake, several Companions appeared and filed into the benches and seats, mead in hand. She guessed that she would be their entertainment for the afternoon. She recognized Farkas, Aela and Ria. The pair of brawlers from the battle in the dining hall also joined. There were a few people she did not recognize like the older man with the scar across his eye and a young warrior whose face looked flushed with too much mead.

Vilkas called Lily to attention and pointed at her bow, "The Companions are warriors, not some archery club. Put that thing away and go grab a real weapon from that rack over there."

Lily retrieved two shortswords from the rack. She practiced a couple of spins with the blades in an attempt to limber up. Vipir the Fleet gave her some blade training back at the Guild, but she'd been a terrible student. She tried to remember some of his tips. Never attack a larger foe first. Taunt and evade the enemy until their stamina is drained, then go in for a fast attack. Use anything in your environment to your advantage.

Vilkas spoke again, "No magic, no potions and no…_poisons_." He glanced at the bottles attached to Lily's belt. These were the tools of sneak thieves and weak milk drinkers as far as he was concerned.

"Come on, the old man said to have a look at you so let's do this," Vilkas said, as he pulled a greatsword from the rack.

Vilkas and Lily dropped into a fighting stance and circled each other slowly.

"Just have a few swings at me so I can see your form," Vilkas ordered. He looked bored.

Lily chose to be stubborn about what she was taught. No attacking a larger foe first. She struggled to think of a good taunt.

"Why don't you attack me first you…milk drinker!" Lily shouted.

His frown deepened slightly, but he was not goaded.

She tried again. "Yeah that's right milk drinker! And I bet you've been eating cheese, butter and cream too!" She accused. She never quite understood the Nordic disdain for dairy products.

Vilkas was not moved by this old tactic. He'd seen warriors of smaller stature try to taunt larger foes into anger and mistakes. It would not work on him. It served no purpose other than to entertain their audience. A few hoots and jeers rang out from the tables where the Companions sat and enjoyed the show.

"Stop wasting time and attack!" Vilkas was becoming irritated.

Lily made a movement with one booted foot, and dirt flew into Vilkas' face. While blinded, he blocked her first attack with ease, as a flurry of quick strikes rang out against his greatsword.

Vilkas felt his temper flare. A clod of dirt was on his face and his teeth were bared in a snarl as he began to advance on Lily. Her eyes widened and she backed up nervously towards the wall, twin blades held defensively in front of her.

He didn't know how she managed it, but Lily hooked one foot at the base of a training dummy and sent it flying into his path. Vilkas cursed as he stumbled into it. While he was distracted, Lily spun and lashed out with a quick volley of blows. He still blocked her, but was highly annoyed that she'd managed to surprise him with these pathetic tactics.

By Ysmir, he'd had enough.

"We are done!" He announced. "You will not join us. You are no warrior and your methods show you know nothing of honor."

She protested, "That's bullshit!" She counted on one gloved hand, "You said no bow, no magic, no potions and no poisons. I complied. You never said I couldn't use my environment to my advantage!"

"We fight with strength, skill and honor, not tricks!" Vilkas answered back. He wanted to throttle her when she rolled her eyes at him.

Athis stood up from one of the benches. Vilkas noted the purple bruise forming around the Dunmer's left eye. "Hang on Vilkas, just because she used some unusual methods doesn't mean she shouldn't be considered. I think she demonstrated some strategy."

Lily was shocked that anyone besides herself would protest. She listened intently.

Njada spoke out next, "I'm with Vilkas on this. We can't let just any nameless riffraff waddle in here and join us."

Athis answered, "That's funny Njada, because I could have sworn that's how you joined. Vilkas, please hear me out. It's been getting stagnant and boring around here. It's high time we used more creativity in our approach to battles. We need to allow people in who have different skills than the rest of us. Also, our numbers are too few right now. Can we afford to turn away perfectly good fighters when we've got the bloody Silver Hand breathing down our necks?

Aela spoke up, "I agree with Athis. We need to build our numbers. I say we give her a chance and see how she performs on the job. And one more thing, since when is a bow not a real weapon, Shield-Brother?" Her silver eyes narrowed on Vilkas and he had a sinking feeling he would be in for it later.

Vilkas felt the fight go out of him. Athis was right that they desperately needed to bolster their numbers. He just wished that the quality of the recruits would not have to suffer so much. His eyes turned towards the benches and he grimaced as Torvar let out a loud belch. Vilkas was also unnerved by Kodlak's cryptic words earlier about Lily having some part to play in the Companion's current situation. He did not like nor trust her, but he would let it go for now.

He turned to face the puny woman. "All right. You're in for the moment. But you're still just a whelp to us and need to follow our orders. Here's my sword, go take it to Eorlund and have it sharpened. And be careful, it's probably worth more than you are."

His words made her temper flare, but she managed to restrain herself from a smart-assed retort. She needed to keep her position safe in order to work on getting her hands on Wuuthrad. Lily obediently took the greatsword from Vilkas and suppressed the temptation to fling it over the back wall. With a parting glare for the haughty Companion, she turned to make her way up to the blacksmith.

Vilkas called after her with a warning, "One more thing whelp. We may be rough, but we won't tolerate thieving around here. If that's your game you can go right back to the lowlifes in Riften."


	4. Dirty Jobs

Thanks again to everyone still reading this story! I really appreciate your views and reviews.

Last chapter was a little too close to game events for my liking, so I tried to mix it up a little this time. I also edited the dialog slightly at the end of Ch.1. I'm new to writing, so any feedback you guys have is much appreciated.

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><p>Vilkas sat outside at one of the benches overlooking Jorrvaskr's practice yard. It was good to be home. He had the stone porch to himself right now, since the other Companions were either on missions or eating lunch inside. Vilkas savored a moment of peace as he nursed a mug of mead and enjoyed the cool afternoon breeze. He could catch a myriad of scents on the air today, from honey and hops brewing at Honningbrew Meadery to the sharp tang of mammoth cheese drifting from a distant giant's camp. His brows creased slightly in irritation as he observed the "gap" in the ranks of training dummies against the wall. It had been three weeks since he had tested the new whelp and she had uprooted one of the damn things. His reverie was broken as the back doors of Jorrvaskr burst open, followed by a heavy footfall. Vilkas didn't even need to turn around to recognize that it was Farkas.<p>

"Hey Brother," Farkas greeted him. He sat down across from Vilkas on the bench and took a sweetroll off his brother's plate.

"Back already I see?" Vilkas said.

"And you too. How'd your mission go?" Farkas asked between bites. "I saw Heimskr out there safe and sound by the Talos shrine, or rather I heard em."

Vilkas sighed. "He told me bandits caught him when he was on his way to preach in Riverwood. When I found him in Shimmermist Cave he was alone. I think they had enough of his sermons and fled. By Ysmir's bloody beard that man can go on. You know I'm as religious as any Nord when it comes to Talos, but gods damned." He shook his head.

Farkas grinned. "Talked your ear off the whole way, I take it?"

"One minute he tells me that Talos loves me and all mankind. Next, he says we're all a bunch of maggots crawling in the dirt. I had to listen to this shit the whole way home. I almost wish I'd left that windbag in the cave." Vilkas complained.

Farkas let out a deep chuckle.

"Anyway, enough of him. How was Markarth?" Vilkas asked.

"It went real well. A band of Forsworn kidnapped an innkeeper's daughter when she was out at a farm buying supplies. I tracked em down to Broken Rock Redoubt. Then I killed several Forsworn, including a Briarheart. The rest ran off. I brought the girl safely back home to her parents in Markarth. They were so grateful they said I can stay at their inn for free any time. And their daughter, Hroki, well she was grateful too." Farkas said with a soft smile.

"Is that so?" Vilkas asked casually. His brother looked entirely too smug for his liking.

"Yeah. That Hroki, she's a pretty little thing," Farkas said. His smile transformed into a grin.

"Hmm," Vilkas grunted. _So, Farkas enjoyed a glorious battle and met a beautiful woman, while I had to endure a four-hour sermon on Talos?_ His sibling rivalry began to simmer.

"Did you know that the beds are made of stone in Markarth?" Farkas asked with a gleam in his eye.

"Yes, a perfect match for that hard head of yours." Vilkas said to his gloating brother.

"Well, if you hear of any new jobs out near Markarth, let me know ok?" Farkas asked.

"Aye," Vilkas agreed. His annoyance melted into sympathy when he saw the faraway look of longing in his brother's eyes. This Hroki must really be something.

The doors onto the stone patio opened again, and this time Aela emerged with bottles of mead in her hands. She joined the twins at the bench.

"So, the victors have returned home at last I see?" She smiled at them.

"Did we miss anything?" Farkas asked.

"Well, Athis got into another fist fight with Njada and lost. Torvar got arrested for drunken behavior in the marketplace. Seems he forgot his pants that night too. No, I'd say it was business as usual while you were gone," Aela said.

"How has Kodlak been?" Vilkas asked.

Aela's expression turned serious. "You know the old man hasn't been well. He's been forgetful and distracted of late. He's hasn't been taking his medicine and he forgot to settle some of our bills. Over the past few weeks I've been helping him catch up with things."

Vilkas and Farkas exchanged a quick glance. Although the old man was not well, they knew the true reason he was so distracted. He was spending every spare moment researching the cure for their lycanthropy. After Kodlak fell ill, the choice of their forebears began to haunt him. He recently admitted to the brothers that the beast blood would prevent their souls from entering Sovngarde after death. Vilkas felt betrayed. This wasn't explained to them when they joined the Circle. Still, what's done is done. The brothers agreed to join Kodlak in stopping their transformations until the cure was found. They wouldn't dare to mention this to Aela. The wolf was an integral part of her identity and they knew she would be offended by the very suggestion of taking Hircine's blessing away.

"Do you have the time to help the old man along with your other work? I could take over some of your jobs," Vilkas offered.

"No need," Aela said. "Since the newblood joined us, I've had her take over my smaller jobs so I could stay in the den and help Kodlak."

"By newblood you mean that girl?" Vilkas asked with a frown. "I don't know what Kodlak was thinking when he let her in," He said.

"Ha! You just have something against archers because we don't use "real weapons" like that big knitting needle you carry on your back," Aela said wryly.

"It's not that," Vilkas countered. "If an enemy were unlucky enough to trap you, you're strong enough to hold your own with those puny daggers of yours, or your beastform. That girl's no warrior and she's too small. Mark my words. In close combat she will be useless to us. Also, her scent seems…anxious to me. I think she's hiding something."

"Of course she's anxious. The girl is still trying to figure out how she fits into the pack. We were all in her place once." Aela said.

Vilkas just shook his head. He couldn't help the feeling that she was up to something.

* * *

><p>Lily approached the boilery building of Honningbrew Meadery. Her timing was good. The workers should be finishing up and leaving for the night. When she saw Mallus Maccius emerge from the door, she waved him down. They stepped over to the side of the building to talk.<p>

Mallus was a pinch-faced man with stringy dark hair and shadowy eyes. He was one of the Thieves Guild's many contacts throughout the Holds. The guild had its eyes and ears everywhere.

She nodded to him. "Mallus, I was wondering if you had any news for me from Riften."

"I might have news for you, if I could be persuaded to part with it," He answered, leaning casually against the wall.

"You're charging me for it? What in Oblivion is this?" Lily's eyebrows rose up in outrage.

Mallus shrugged. "Word I hear is that Mercer kicked you out. You got to pay up now like the rest of the civilians." He smirked.

With a foul oath, Lily paid out 5 septims. She snatched the proffered letter from Mallus' greasy hand in exchange.

Lily wandered over to the stone bridge that crossed the White River. She hopped up onto the ledge of the bridge and sat down to read her letter.

* * *

><p>Lily,<p>

Hey, how's the job going? Any luck yet?

I may as well break the worst of the news first. Bryn and I tried talking sense into Mercer. We asked him to give that axe job to someone else and let you back in. Mercer's being a stubborn ass about it. He even forbade any guild members from helping you with your mission.

I always worried that one day you'd push him too far with your attitude. The man has an ego the size of Nirn and it doesn't take much to get on his bad side. We are not giving up on you yet. Still, the way things are now, you might get back here faster if you finish that axe job.

It's going to be a while before I can write again. This evening, Mercer came to me and said he needs me for a mission. We've learned that Karliah is still alive and has been causing trouble for the guild. She's the one who killed our last guild master over 20 years ago. I told Mercer he'd be better of hiring the Dark Brotherhood for this kind of thing, but I guess he wants us to wash our own dirty laundry. We're headed out to Snow Veil Sanctum tomorrow to track her down. If this job goes well, Mercer is going to owe me big and I may convince him to let you come home.

I'll write you again as soon as I'm back. Be careful and let me know how things are going, ok?

Shadow Hide You,

Vex

* * *

><p>Lily stared at the rushing water of the White River for a moment and let the news sink in.<p>

She felt a stab of worry at the thought of Vex taking on Karliah in this new mission, but pushed it aside. Vex knew what she was doing. She was one of the most talented members the guild had. Why else would Mercer choose her for such a dangerous job?

Damn Mercer. Lily thought he would have cooled off by now, but the letter dashed all hopes of a quick return to Riften. She was stuck for now, until the shards of Wuuthrad were whole again and the axe could be taken. Her heart sank a little. It wasn't that being with the Companions was unpleasant. On the contrary, the longer she stayed with them the more she grew to like them. It would not do for her to become attached to her targets. _The sooner this job is over and done with the better_, Lily thought.

Lily folded the letter and tucked it away in one of the many pockets of her leathers. She made her way back down the road towards the city gate in the twilight.

* * *

><p>There was a chill in the air this evening. Lily welcomed the warmth that hit her as she opened the carved wooden doors of Jorrvaskr and entered its cozy dining hall.<p>

In the glow of the firepit, she could see that most of the Companions were gathered at the long table to enjoy their dinner.

Aela's silver gaze met Lily as she walked through the door. "So, have you vanquished the beasts?"

"The skeevers won't be eating Farmer Owin's leeks any longer," Lily replied. "He also gave me a sack of potatoes for Tilma."

Aela grinned. "Good work! Now come sit down and eat with us."

Lily took the seat next to Aela and helped herself to some nut treats. She saw Skjor seated on Aela's other side. Skjor was a warrior in his middle years with a bald head and distinctive scar across his clouded left eye. From what Lily heard, it was a wound from a Thalmor blademaster, taken during the Great War. He had a fierce and intimidating look to him, except when he gazed upon Aela.

Many other Companions were sharing a meal together this night. There was old Vignar Gray-Mane and his manservant, Brill. They listened as Ria cheerfully told them of the bear she'd killed that morning.

At the other end of the table, she saw Farkas and Vilkas sitting next to each other and deep in conversation. Today they were both clad in the Companion's distinctive wolf-themed steel armor. She couldn't help but appreciate the handsome sight of them together. It was as though the gods crated one man so well that they couldn't resist making two. Since the day Vilkas sent her off to sharpen his sword, he'd barely said a word to Lily and only glared at her in passing. She could tell he didn't trust her. Well, the man clearly had good instincts.

Tilma, the sweet old woman who was the Companion's housekeeper, came around the tables and dispensed a stew that smelled wonderful.

Lily watched as Skjor fished around in his bowl with a spoon. He frowned and then glared at the stew with his good eye, "Where's the meat?" he demanded.

"Hush," Aela said. "You don't want to hurt Tilma's feelings. Since Kodlak forgot to pay our bill last month, Anoriath's been putting off filling our orders. I think he's trying to teach us a lesson. Don't worry. I'm going to have Vilkas handle this one."

Skjor put his spoon down and said, "If there's no meat to be had, then we're going hunting tonight."

"Of course," Aela replied. "But let's be discrete about it. You know the old man doesn't like it."

By "old man" Lily guessed they meant Kodlak. But what would he have against hunting?

Lily looked up and saw that Kodlak himself had come into the dining hall to spend time with the Companions. He circulated around the table, personally speaking with everyone. He asked Ria how her sword practice was going and congratulated Farkas and Vilkas on their most recent missions. Lily could tell that he cared deeply for his people. If only Mercer could have been a leader like this. He came over to Lily next.

"Lily. How goes your first few weeks with the Companions?" Kodlak asked.

"Things have been going well," Lily replied. "Although, it's surprising how many skeevers you have in this town."

Kodlak just smiled and said, "Keep up the good work and soon more interesting jobs will come your way, I promise you."

After dinner, Lily reluctantly made her way downstairs to the common sleeping quarters where all but the Circle members slept. Damn but that place was as cramped. She was not looking forward to hearing Athis snore or smelling Torvar's stinky boots.

* * *

><p>In the morning, Lily sought out Aela to ask for her next task. She found the huntress in Kodlak's quarters, sitting across the table from the old man with a large stack of papers scattered between them.<p>

"Good morning, Kodlak, Aela," Lily said. "I was wondering if you had any other work for me today?"

Aela spoke, "No, I have nothing else at the moment. I think Vilkas may have some extra jobs. You should check in with him."

_Shit._ "Alright." Lily said warily. "Where can I find him?"

"He tends to sleep in late, so he's probably in his quarters." Aela frowned that the stack of papers in front of her. "It's far too busy around here for any of us to rest our haunches. Feel free to wake him up," Aela insisted.

Lily walked down the hall and wondered what menial task the broody Companion would have in store for her. More sword sharpening? Maybe his boots needed polishing too?

Lily stood in front of Vilkas' room and pounded on his door.

"What!" an irritated voice called from within.

She took that as permission to enter.

Lily stepped inside and looked around the room. It was built of gray stone, just like the rest of this level and had an arched roof. Although small, it was a vast improvement over the cramped quarters shared by the "whelps." Circle members like Vilkas had the luxury of privacy. The room was decorated with comfortable wooden furniture including a table and chairs, bookshelf and dresser. A few rugs on the floor and some bright candles gave the space warmth. In the right corner, there was a wooden screen with a bed behind it.

Aela had been right that Vilkas slept late. From behind the wooden screen, he threw off his fur covers, planted his bare feet on the rug and rose from his bed.

Vilkas was still groggy from slumber and his hair was slightly askew. He wore a pair of tundra-cotton sleeping trousers. Lily could not help but admire the rippling muscles of his arms and the hard planes of his bare chest and abdomen. Scars both faded and new marked his warrior's body. A scattering of black hairs over his arms and torso only added to the masculine view.

Lily pulled her eyes back to his face with some difficulty, but had no remorse for her wandering gaze. _I'd have to be blind or dead not to look_, she thought.

Vilkas stood in the middle of his room and glared at this unwelcome intruder. He rubbed his forehead. A trip to the Bannered Mare last night with Farkas had left him with a slight hangover. "What do you want, whelp?" he asked curtly.

"I finished up my jobs for Aela. She told me to find you and ask if you had other work."

"Oh," He said. "Wait a moment." He turned his back to her to rifle through some papers on his table. Lily was confronted with the distracting view of his broad shoulders and muscular back. Her eyes dropped lower of their own accord. She tried to divert her gaze from his tight, cotton-clad bottom by looking around his room.

Her eyes fell on stacks of books jammed together in the bookshelf and scattered on the floor. She frowned. _Now that's just unfair. Strong, handsome and intelligent too?_ She did a quick inventory, impressed by the variety of books on Tamriel's history and lore. She smirked when she saw "The Fallen," a book about the Thieves Guild by an ambitious writer who had secretly infiltrated their ranks.

She picked up the book and flipped through it. She looked up at Vilkas and said, "I guess us Riften low-lifes make for a good read, eh?"

He turned around and gave her an icy stare, grabbed the book from her hand and tossed it back on the pile on the floor.

"You read?" He asked, skeptical.

She nodded. "Taught by the Thieves Guild. I'll always be in their debt for that one."

Vilkas made a disdainful expression when she mentioned the guild. "Now that I think of it, there is a job that Aela gave me that may be better suited to you."

Lily started to feel uneasy at the smooth, calculating tone of his voice.

"It seems we had a disagreement with Anoriath, the meat seller at the market. We've since paid him what he was owed, but he is delaying our orders to teach us a lesson. We need to show him that you don't trifle with the Companions. Flex your muscle, rough him up a little and convince him to take us seriously. Don't kill him or use weapons. That will get you into trouble with the guards."

Lily's eyes widened. "Flex my muscle? Are you losing your eyesight? You're asking _me_ to fistfight this guy?" This was definitely a case where her small size would work against her.

She detected a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. It was the closest thing to a smile she'd seen on his broody, handsome face.

Vilkas shrugged. "If you aren't capable of doing such a simple job…"

_If I can't do such a simple job, he could argue to Kodlak that I have no place in the Companions,_ Lily thought.

"No, I'll do it," Lily protested. _Shit, how am I going to do it?_ She'd been in a fistfight once, with Saphire, a Nord woman almost as small as she was. Lily had lost that one.

* * *

><p>The colorful fabric awnings of the merchant's stalls flapped in the breeze. A few shoppers meandered around the marketplace with their baskets, haggling for the best prices. An old woman filled a bucket of water at the central well.<p>

Lily cautiously circled the marketplace, watching her mark as he hawked his goods from behind his colorful stall.

"The finest cuts of meat, fresh from the wilds!" He called out.

Anoriath was a Bosmer elf with tan skin, dark amber eyes and long auburn hair tied up with a leather cord. Although he was slender, Lily saw that the muscles of his arms bulged under the short sleeves of his leather tunic. She cursed her luck. He looked strong and would probably wipe up the marketplace with her. _Maybe if I try reasoning with him I can persuade him to give us what we want?_ Lily strode up to his stall, prepared to apply the full power of her speechcraft skill on the man.

Anoriath smiled at her approach, thinking she was a customer. "Greetings, can I interest you in a fine cut of mammoth snout?"

"Uh, I don't have much taste for mammoth right now. I need to speak you about the Companion's meat order," Lily said.

Anoriath's expression hardened and he folded his arms. "I see, well it's just like I told Aela. You Companions made me wait nearly a month to get paid. Now, it's your turn to wait."

Lily continued, "It was an honest mistake. Our Harbinger hasn't been well and we fell behind on the bills. Aela took care of that and I understand she already paid for our new order. So please, couldn't you forgive what happened last month and deliver our meat?"

"Sorry, I won't. I've got another order for the City Guard and I'm going to take care of them first. Now you'll understand what it's like to have to wait for what you need," Anoriath insisted.

_Ok, so diplomacy had utterly failed. Maybe a bluff would work?_ Lily thought.

Lily fixed her expression into a hard scowl and threatened, "If you don't deliver the orders we've paid for, I'll kick your Bosmer ass from one side of the marketplace to the other!"

He looked her up and down and said, "Seriously?" He looked at her like she was a few arrows short of a full quiver. Then he laughed at her.

Lily had to take more drastic measures. She seized a mammoth snout from his stall and threw it on the ground.

He stopped laughing. "Hey, stop that! What do you think you're doing!"

She stomped on the snout for good measure.

Lily smiled as Anoriath came out from behind his stall with fists raised.

"Alright shrimp, if it's a fight you want you're going to get it!" He shouted.


	5. Mayhem at the Market

Thanks again everyone for your views, faves and reviews of this story! Thanks also Hot Mage Aeris, Myrielle, crbrgmi and Skippie89 for your reviews of the last chapter.

This one is a bit short and silly, but I hope you may still like it :)

* * *

><p>"Alright shrimp, if it's a fight you want you're going to get it!" Anoriath shouted.<p>

Lily swung first and Anoriath swiftly dodged her punch. He was faster than she had guessed. Before she could react, Lily felt a jolt of pain as his fist made impact with her jaw. The blow sent her headlong into one of the crates of the neighboring market stall. Her landing was softened a little by the pile of tomatoes contained within. Anoriath moved closer, his fist raised for another strike. Lily seized a large gourd from the counter and smashed it over his head. Anoriath cursed, pausing to wipe seeds and pulp from his eyes. That gave Lily a second to hop back up on her feet. She heard the vegetable merchant cry out in outrage at the abuse to her produce.

A crowd had gathered and Lily could hear people yelling, "Get her Anoriath!" and "10 septims on the short one!"

Now the two combatants were circling around the central well of the marketplace, throwing punches and dodging. Lily kicked the wooden well bucket, sending it hurtling towards Anoriath's legs. She nodded in approval as she watched him leap over it like it was nothing.

He clearly favored speed and evasion as his tactic rather than strength. The two were alike in this regard. Lily felt her sore muscles protest painfully as she struggled match Anoriath's speed.

They continued to circle the marketplace in a whirl of fisticuffs, neither one of them connecting another punch. They were both sweating like pigs and out of breath by now. The stalemate went on so long that some spectators got bored and left the scene.

Anoriath suddenly stood still, putting his fists down and said, "Alright, this is ridiculous. Let's stop this farce-unnggh!"

As soon as her moving target was still, Lily punched the elf hard in his face.

Anoriath lay on the ground, groaning and holding onto his nose.

Lily ran over to him. "By the Gods, your nose is bleeding," She said, feeling remorseful. "Shit! Why in Oblivion did you stop so suddenly?"

"Forget it!" Anoriath said with a nasal tone. "Look, I get the message alright? I'll deliver your damn order tomorrow. Just leave me alone!"

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry," Lily said. She unhooked a health potion from her belt and left it by his side.

When Lily turned around, one of Whiterun's helmet-headed guards came over to her with an angry woman in tow. She recognized the furious merchant as Carlotta Valencia, owner of the now devastated vegetable stall.

The guard accused Lily, "Shame on you citizen. Look at what you did to Carlotta's stall! She has a hungry daughter to feed you know. Give me one reason why I shouldn't haul you off to the dungeon right now."

Lily stammered, "I, um, didn't know things would get this far out of hand."

She looked around at the mess they had wrought and the carnage of smashed vegetables and broken crates in front of Carlotta's stall. Lily really did not want to go to the dungeon. In the heart of any thief, "jail" was synonymous with "fail." It would be a humiliating end to this ridiculous mission that Vilkas sent her on.

"Could I pay for the damages rather than going to the dungeon?" Lily pleaded.

"Well," the guard said surveying the damage, "I think 150 septims for repairs to Carlotta's stall plus 50 septims to clean up this mess would probably do it, do you agree Carlotta?" The Nord shopkeeper glared knives at Lily, but shook her head that she agreed. Lily paid up. It was all the coin she had earned so far from the jobs Aela gave her.

* * *

><p>The Companions drifted into the dining hall for lunch, drawn by the savory aroma of Tilma's much loved "beef and barley" bake. As they sat down, Skjor eagerly poked his fork into the dish, only to let out a mournful sigh when it became clear it was all barley and no beef.<p>

Aela sat next to Skjor and shot him a warning glance. "Tilma worked hard on this dish. We should be grateful."

Skjor groaned and looked around Aela to where Vilkas sat, digging into the barley bake.

"Vilkas, weren't you the one who was going to take care of things with the meat seller?" Skjor asked.

"I was, but I gave that job to the whelp," Vilkas answered. His expression was as serious as usual, yet his ice blue eyes held a spark of mischief.

"You what?" Aela asked, silver eyes flashing.

Vilkas shrugged. "I figured it was time to give her something more challenging than those skeever shooting jobs of yours. Not my fault if she wasn't up to the task."

He flinched a little at the furious look Aela leveled at him.

"Vilkas, how could you?" she hissed. "You know the girl isn't ready for something like that. I'm going to go find her."

"Aela, if she can't do something as simple as this she has no business being here. Someone who can't handle themselves in close combat has no place in the Companions. I wouldn't bother trying to find her either. She's probably run halfway back to Riften by now," Vilkas replied with a smirk.

Aela was about to argue back, when the doors of Jorrvaskr swung open. It was Lily.

Vilkas was astonished. At first glance, he thought Lily was covered in blood and gore and that Anoriath had come to a bad end. The truth of the matter was revealed as the strong odor of tomato pulp assailed his nostrils. She was covered head to toe in it.

"Alright, the deed is done. You'll be getting the meat you ordered from Anoriath tomorrow." Lily grumbled.

There were hoots and cheers of approval from many Companions at the long table.

"Good work newblood," Skjor said casting a sardonic smile at Vilkas. "By Hircine, I was afraid I'd start losing weight."

Vilkas was not amused. His surprised expression faded back into a customary frown. "Very well. Here's your pay whelp." He tossed her a small pouch containing 50 septims.

Lily caught the pouch and winced. Her right hand still throbbed with pain from punching the elf, far worse even than her jaw. She cast a wary glance at Vilkas. "Anyone else you want me rough up?" She asked sullenly. Gods she hoped not.

Before Vilkas could reply, Tilma came in and uttered a cry of dismay when she saw Lily and the trail of tomato stains on the floor. "Gods above, I just cleaned the carpets!"

Lily looked down in surprise at the mess she had created. "Sorry Tilma, I promise I'll be back to clean this up. I need to go throw myself in the river right now." Lily left Jorrvaskr, leaving a sticky handprint on the door as she departed.


	6. Dreams

Author Note: Hi everyone. Sorry for the long delay. Work and school kept me away from Skyrim. Thanks again for your views, faves and reviews. It's very much appreciated!

* * *

><p>...<p>

That night Vilkas tossed and turned in his bed. The beastblood would not allow restful slumber.

...

Vilkas found himself walking down a path in the wilderness with Farkas at his side. His brows creased in confusion. Where are we? What are we doing here? He had trouble clearing the fog from his mind. Vilkas remembered a fierce battle. He and Farkas had been surrounded by hundreds of Silver Hand warriors. He remembered the sound of men yelling and dying around him and the taste of steel and blood. His consciousness slipped down into darkness and then suddenly they were here. Something was strange about their surroundings. The grass, trees and even the rocks seemed somehow too vivid. He looked up at the skies and admired the amazing aurora there, swirling with impossible colors.

As they reached the end of the path they came to a bridge constructed from the bones of some great beast. Guarding the bridge was a Nord warrior as tall and strong as a giant. Beyond the bridge of bones was an impressive stone mead hall with a roof so tall it seemed to touch the heavens.

It was just like in the old tales. Vilkas could hardly believe his eyes. "By Ysmir!" He exclaimed, turning to his brother. "That's Tsun and the bridge to the Hall of Valor. We're dead!"

Farkas just shrugged. "Had to happen sooner or later."

Vilkas sighed. Even in bloody Sovngarde nothing seemed to faze his brother.

Farkas looked towards the Hall of Valor with a more serious expression in his eyes. "We'll probably meet Ysgramor in there. Do you think we'll see Jergen too?" He asked.

"I don't know," Vilkas answered honestly.

He followed his brother's gaze. Light and warmth beckoned to them from the stone building's large windows. From within, Vilkas could hear the voices of thousands of heroes raised up in songs of valor. It filled his spirit with fierce joy.

The brothers made their way to the bridge and Tsun greeted them by unsheathing a wicked looking axe. Before they could earn passage over the bridge by testing their mettle against Tsun, the air was pierced by a deafening howl.

Vilkas was filled with dread as he turned to see a great wolf spirit approach them, its red eyes gleaming like fire. He and Farkas raised their swords and were prepared to fight, but to no avail. They were no longer men, but spirits. The great wolf swept them away from Sovngarde like mist blown away by wind.

Vilkas and Farkas were now surrounded by a lush green forest. A warrior stood above them, holding a spear and crowned with the skull and antlers of a great deer.

"Welcome to my hunting grounds," The Daedric Lord Hircine greeted them. He laughed cruelly as he sensed resistance from these two souls. "Do not struggle so. You were mine from the day you drank of the blood and accepted my gifts. There is no need to fear. In time, all concerns will fade and you will forget that you were ever men. You shall be my wolves for all eternity."

...

Vilkas shot awake in a cold sweat and sat up in his bed. Since the day he chose to forgo the transformations, he was plagued by unsettling dreams. They weren't always nightmares. Sometimes he dreamt of running across the plains, strong and free in his werewolf form. Although his Nord soul yearned for Sovngarde, Vilkas wondered if he truly had the will to give up the powers granted by the beastform.

Vilkas threw off his fur blanket with a curse. He opened his bedroom door and crossed the hallway to his brother's room. He knocked and was answered by a grunt from within. Vilkas opened the door and made his way to the bar Farkas kept in the corner. He poured himself a nice tall mug of mead from one of the kegs.

Farkas lay on his side in his small bed, comfortably entrenched under a mountain of fur blankets. "You been having nightmares again?" He asked.

"Aye, the usual. I dreamt we were denied entry to Sovngarde," Vilkas answered.

"Kodlak will find the cure before we have to worry about that, you'll see," Farkas reassured him.

Vilkas respected his brother's more optimistic and trusting nature, but he could not share it. He wasn't certain their Harbinger would find the cure in time. Any day they could die while out on a mission.

Farkas observed as Vilkas scowled into his mead. He knew his brother's habits well. Vilkas would think too much about things until he worked himself into a foul mood. There was one way to shake him out of it.

"Hey, how about we go outside and get some practice in before breakfast?" Farkas suggested.

Vilkas grunted his assent.

They would feel better after hitting each other with swords.

* * *

><p>Skjor leaned against the back wall of the practice yard and watched with a stoic expression as Farkas and Vilkas beat the crap out of each other.<p>

The brothers had been at it for nearly an hour. The clash of metal rang out as they swung and blocked with their longswords. Sweat poured down their faces as they circled each other with identical expressions of intense concentration. Skjor could tell that Vilkas was beginning to tire. The brothers were skilled swordsmen, but Farkas was massive and Vilkas had always been the smaller of the two.

Skjor's battle scarred face broke into a smile of pride as he watched them and remembered. It seemed like yesterday that they were children, sparing with wooden swords in this very spot. Skjor had often trained them. Sometimes he pulled them off each other and gave them a stern talking to when sibling rivalries flared into battle. When the brothers became the youngest ever to join the Companions at age 15, Skjor was there. Just two years later they were initiated into the Circle. Skjor helped them take the beastblood and guided them through their first transformations. Skjor, Kodlak and Jergen all had a hand in raising the boys to be the men they were today.

Vilkas finally raised a hand and said "Enough!" Both brothers looked exhausted as they put their swords back on the rack. They took a seat at the benches on the stone patio and both tossed back some ale to quench their thirst.

Skjor walked over to join them at the benches. "Not bad," He nodded to them. "You still need to improve your speed Farkas, and Vilkas keep working on that stamina."

"Aye." Both brothers intoned.

"Got word from that mage, Arniel, the one who's been tracking down the shards of Wuuthrad for us," Skjor said.

Both brothers looked up intently.

"What has he heard?" Vilkas asked.

"Seems one piece has been in Whiterun Hold all this time, right under our noses. Dustman's Cairn." Skjor answered.

"I know that place. Time to go put some undead to rest," Farkas said eagerly.

"There's more," Skjor added. "An informant of mine tells me the Silver Hand recently sent two dozen men to that area with digging equipment."

Vilkas swore at this news and Farkas' expression darkened.

Over the last decade, the Silver Hand had boldly stolen several shards of Wuuthrad from sites all over Skyrim. This hated enemy had taken the Companion's most treasured relic, the axe of their founder Ysgramor. It was a humiliation that could not go unanswered.

"We'll take back what is ours, or pry the shard from their dead hands," Vilkas said with conviction. "I wish I didn't have that Forsworn job to go to tomorrow. I'd leave tonight for the cairn."

Skjor fixed his good eye upon Farkas. "I'd like you to take the job this time Farkas," he said. "You took Ria out for her testing and did well. I want you to do the same with the newblood. Take Lily to Dustman's Cairn and see how she fares."

Farkas nodded his agreement, but Vilkas let out a huff of disbelief.

"You don't like the girl," Skjor said.

"She's a thief," Vilkas stated. He shook his head. "We must be truly desperate for recruits. Shall I go to the dungeons of Dragonsreach and pick out a few more?"

Skjor smirked at this. "So what? Thieves, pirates, bandits…she wouldn't be the first Companion that we've had over the centuries who's had a past. What matters is if they live with honor after they join. I haven't noticed anything missing from Jorrvaskr since the girl arrived, have you?" he jested.

Vilkas would not give voice to his concerns, lest Skjor accuse him of fretting like an old woman. Several horrible scenarios crossed his mind. Everyone knew thieves were incapable of loyalty and only cared about coin. What if Lily tried to sell his brother out to the Silver Hand once they got to Dustman's Cairn? Or, perhaps she would just try and make off with all the loot after shooting a poisoned arrow into his back. Vilkas feared that his trusting, good natured brother may blunder right into danger.


	7. Be Prepared

Author Note: Hi Everyone. Again, I apologize for the long delay in my updates. School and work took over again :) Thanks for reading!

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><p>After double helping of Tilma's horker pie for lunch, Farkas returned to his own room to relax.<p>

He sat in the sturdy wooden chair across from his bed and picked up his lute. Farkas frowned in concentration as his large fingers struggled to form chords on the narrow fretboard. _They really need to make these things bigger_, he thought. He had just plucked out a few halting chords of Ragnar the Red, when he was interrupted by a knock at the door.

Farkas set the lute down and answered, "Come on in!"

The door swung open and it was Lily. "Hope I'm not interrupting you," She said.

"Not at all," Farkas answered in his deep baritone. "I take it you're here to talk about the job at Dustman's Cairn."

"I am," she said. Her brown eyes widened as she got a closer look at his room. "By Sanguine's bottle of infinite booze…you have your own bar in your room? Some people have all the luck," She said with a tinge of jealousy.

Farkas grinned at that. "Yeah, how bout a drink? Got a keg of the latest Honningbrew Gold right here."

Lily took a seat at one of the barstools while Farkas filled a couple of frothy mugs.

"So, Skjor says this is to be my Testing. If I pass then I become a Companion?" she asked.

"Aye," Farkas agreed, handing her a mug. "We go on this mission and I watch you. Just fight well and be honorable. You'll do fine."

"I'll do my best," Lily agreed, raising her mug and taking a swig. "So, Skjor said the place is crawling with Draugr. What's our plan? Turn undead scrolls? Fire? Holy water?" Her eyes were bright with excitement.

Farkas smiled and shook his head. "We don't bother with that fancy stuff. Hit em enough times with Skyforge steel and the undead will be dead again."

"Oh, alright," Lily said, a little deflated. "Skjor also said we'll face someone called The Silver Hand. Who's he?" In her mind, she pictured an enemy boss who had replaced his hand with a shiny metal one.

Farkas smirked at the question. "Um…Skjor must not have had time to explain stuff. The Silver Hand are a bunch of mercenaries. They're enemies of the Companions and we've been fighting em as long as I can remember. They have a thing for silver weapons and that's where they get the name."

Farkas and Lily discussed strategy, going over the types of fighters usually found in the Silver Hand's ranks. Since Lily was an archer and her close combat skills left much to be desired, she agreed to stay behind Farkas and fire at range.

"Meet me an hour after sunrise tomorrow in the dining hall. We'll grab some of Tilma's griddle cakes and then head out," Farkas confirmed.

"I'll be ready," Lily agreed. "One last thing, do you have any books on the Draugr? It might help me prepare if I read about them."

"Books?" Farkas asked in surprise. "I'm not much into reading. My brother might have something, or Kodlak might."

"I'll check with Kodlak," Lily said.

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><p>Kodlak sat at his desk surrounded by small mountains of books, scrolls and letters. He was so close to finding the cure for their curse that he could feel it in his very soul. Kodlak reached out for another book and winced at the pain in his swollen joints. His hand shook like a leaf as he brought the tome to rest in front of him. Werewolves were thought to be immune from disease. And yet…Kodlak now suffered from a severe case of rockjoint that no healer could cure. Once he had been the strongest of Companions. Now a small child could easily best him. His lips twisted in a bitter smile at this truth. Perhaps Hircine knew he sought the cure to the god's "blessing' and had cursed him with this affliction. The daedric gods could be petty and the rockjoint had appeared right about the time Kodlak started his research. His troubled reverie was broken by a rap at the door.<p>

"Yes?" Kodlak called out.

Lily tentatively poked her head into the room.

"Pardon me Harbinger. I'm preparing for my Testing tomorrow at Dustman's Cairn. I was wondering if you had any books I could borrow about the Draugr?"

Kodlak smiled and wrinkles creased at the corners of his kind blue eyes. He nodded in approval. "Indeed I do. On that shelf over there, you may take the blue book on the left."

Lily took the volume and smiled in thanks.

Kodlak noticed it when Lily's gaze dropped to the red, swollen joints of his hands. He knew she meant no harm by it, and swallowed his embarrassment at the look of surprise and sympathy that was reflected in her eyes.

Kodlak said, "I only wish more of our warriors would prepare their minds as well as their muscle before battle. Good luck young one."

Kodlak watched her leave with a wry smile. Vilkas probably thought he was going senile when he insisted the girl be given the chance to join the Companions. If he told him the real reason behind his decision, the boy might truly think he was losing his mind. For Kodlak had dreamt of a warrior who had slain the great wolf spirit with a flaming arrow, and he was certain the archer in his dream was Lily.

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><p>Back in the "whelp's quarters" that Lily shared with the lower ranking Companions, she tossed the Draugr book on her bed and rummaged through her backpacks. Her brows creased in worry after an inventory of her arrows revealed that she was almost out. Elrindir at the Drunken Huntsman was the best supplier of fletching supplies in town. Since Lily punched his brother Anoriath in the marketplace, he was now unlikely to welcome her in his shop. She grit her teeth in frustration. <em>Why did Vilkas have to stick me with that gods forsaken job?<em> Lily turned her attention to arrow poisoning, taking out dried ingredients and a mortar and pestle and setting them on the bedside table. A poisoned arrow could slow or paralyze a pursuer without killing them, allowing a thief to escape and rob another day. Some recipes could disrupt a mage's spell, preventing death from being fried by a fireball or lightning bolt.

She heard the door open and looked up, expecting Ria or one of the other roommates. She was surprised to see Vilkas barge through the doorway and walk right up to her.

Vilkas' eyes narrowed in suspicion as he spotted the deathbell petals and mortar and pestle on her bedside table. He practically growled at her, "I don't know what you're up to or why you're really here, but if my brother comes to any harm on this mission, you will regret the day you set your foot in Jorrvaskr whelp."

"Harm your brother? What in the-" Lily sputtered.

"You know what I mean!" Vilkas continued. "No tricks. No treachery. If anything happens, by Ysmir I will hunt you down," He threatened.

Lily rolled her eyes at the ridiculous accusation. "Your brother is nearly five times my size. You really think he could come to harm from me? I'd laugh at the very idea…if it weren't so gods damned sweet that you're that protective of him," Lily blurted.

The word "sweet" drew an even darker expression from Vilkas and he stormed out of the room and slammed the door.

Lily sighed into the empty room and resumed the work on her poisons.

I moment later, the door burst open again. This time it was Athis.

"Crikey, Vilkas nearly knocked me over in the hallway. Who put a bee up his britches?" The Dunmer complained.

Lily watched as Athis tossed a worn leather pack onto his bed and proceeded to stuff clothes and supplies into it. The dark elf had angular features and the red eyes common to his people. His dark grey skin was decorated by swirls of white warpaint in a Nordic design. He kept his long auburn hair bound back in a topknot. The straps of his leather armor clung to the lean, muscular frame of a swordsman.

"Are you going out on a job Athis?" Lily asked.

The Dunmer paused from packing his bag. "I am. Tomorrow I head out to Dawnstar. Seems there's some kind of curse on the townsfolk and they can't sleep. I intend to solve the mystery. I'm looking forward to taking a break from you lot, no offense intended.

Athis took a closer look at what Lily was doing. "Is that poison you're making?" He asked.

"It is," She answered, suddenly defensive. "Poisoning my arrows will provide me an advantage when I'm up against a stronger warrior or a mage. Gods know I need the extra help."

To her surprise, Athis looked more intrigued than disgusted. "Will that work on blades?" He asked.

"It will," Lily agreed. She raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't that go against some Companion rule of honor or something? You guys seem to frown on this kind of thing."

Athis sighed. "I really wish my shield-siblings would keep an open mind. How can we expect to win against the Silver Hand if we don't try new strategies? Tradition is well and good, but if we're too set in our ways we won't survive into the next Era…let alone the next decade."

Athis fixed Lily with a serious expression. "I've got a proposal to make. I was there the day Vilkas first tested your sword arm. Your tactics show promise but your swordplay is sloppy. I've seen a drunken beggar with a fork who had more skill than you."

"At the very least, I'd beat the fork guy!" Lily protested with an outraged expression.

Before Lily could turn a deeper shade of red, Athis continued, "Let me train you. I know shortblades very well, both one and two handed. I've been a swordsman for nearly 80 years. In exchange you could show me everything you know of poisons."

Lily gave him a shrewd look and nodded in agreement. "That's a very generous deal. I accept. Nocturnal's teats Athis! 80 years? Just how old are you?"

The dark elf shrugged. "126 on my last nameday. What can I say? Being a Mer has its merits." He grinned. "We'll start just as soon as we've returned from our jobs."

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><p>The morning couldn't come soon enough for Lily. She read the book "Amongst the Draugr" hoping to gain battle knowledge for the mission. Instead, this tome was a creepy account of some fool mage who'd spent months in a tomb watching the shuffling, shambling corpses as they served their dead Dragon Priest. The book left Lily too unnerved to get much sleep. Bleary-eyed, she slung her pack over her shoulder and headed up to the main hall.<p>

Lily thanked Tilma for the delicious griddle cakes and wrapped up a few to go. Farkas was nowhere to be seen in the dining hall. Lily cast a quick glance at the shards of Wuuthrad on the wall above the stair before heading out.

When Lily opened the front doors of Jorrvaskr she had to squint against the bright light of the morning. As her vision adjusted to the sunlight, she was confronted by the sight of some packs on the stone stairs and Vilkas. He stood there with his arms crossed and a blue-eyed glare just for her.

"Where's Farkas?" Lily asked.

Vilkas smiled and it sent a shiver of fear into her heart. "Farkas is on his way to Markarth by now. He and I traded jobs. He's not going on this mission. You're coming with me whelp."

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><p>Author Note #2: Despite the fact that warewolves are supposed to have increased resistance to disease, it says on elderscrolls dot wikia dot com that Kodlak contracted Rot a year before the Dovakiin arrives at Jorrvaskr. For my story I changed it to rockjoint so that he's sound of mind but physically ailing.<p> 


	8. On the Road

Hi everyone. Sorry for the late update again. Thanks again for your views, reviews and encouragement!

This is a bit short but I hope you enjoy :)

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><p>Vilkas strode proudly out of the gates of Whiterun, with Lily trailing close behind in his wake. For a man in heavy armor with 50 pounds of Skyforge steel greatsword on his back, he moved fast.<p>

Lily was fretting. She'd have a snowball's chance in Oblivion of passing this Testing, now that Vilkas was her judge. Getting kicked out of the Companions would make stealing Wuuthrad next to impossible.

When they arrived at the stables, Vilkas stopped in his tracks and turned to face Lily. She marveled at the fact that a man with such a grim expression could be so handsome at the same time. The wind of the plains stirred his dark hair. The black war paint he wore around his eyes added a certain intensity to his expression. Lily could see distrust reflected in those ice-blue eyes of his.

"What now?" Lily asked him.

"I'll give you 400 gold if you leave Whiterun."

Lily's eyes widened at this proposition. She gazed with longing at the horse and cart in front of the stables. She would love to take that money, hop on the cart home to Riften and leave Vilkas in the dust. But without fulfilling the contract on Wuuthrad, she couldn't rejoin her friends and have her old life back. Mercer would not let her.

"It's a generous offer but I'm afraid I'm going to have to say no," Lily answered.

Vilkas' scowl deepened a little. "Very well, 800."

"Daedra's balls, 800?! Look, I'm flattered that you dislike me enough to want to pay that much, but my answer is still no."

"Fine!" Vilkas spat. "Then let's get going." He started down the road out of town at a swift pace, forcing Lily to practically run to keep up with him.

Vilkas was disappointed. He was sure that coin would reveal her devious character and they would be easily rid of her. Now he would have to complete the damn mission with her along. He was not looking forward to this.

Her Companion was clearly not in the mood for talking, so Lily enjoyed the surrounding views instead. Sunlight bathed the rolling hills of the tundra in golden hues. The rocky terrain was decorated by wildflowers and green, orange and gold grasses. The lack of trees did not make the place any less beautiful; it granted an unbroken view to the towering white mountains beyond.

Vilkas maintained his grim silence as they continued hiking in a northwesterly direction. As much as Lily enjoyed looking at that handsome stony expression of his, she was getting bored by the silent treatment. She would start talking to herself if she had to.

Lily: "Whoa, what's that big campfire over there? Is that a Giant's Camp?"

Vilkas: …..

Lily: "Ugh, what's that horrific cheesy smell!? I had no idea Mammoths could even be milked."

Vilkas: …..

Lily: "You know, that rock over there bears a resemblance to my old friend Delvin's head."

Vilkas:…..

Lily: "Gods, my feet hurt like the fires of Oblivion. How much farther do we have to go?"

"I thought thieves were skilled at keeping _silent_," Vilkas replied through grit teeth.

"That's only when we're sneaking around," Lily said with a shrug. She was glad to get some response out of him, even if it was only sarcasm.

"Anyhow, I told you I'm former Thieves Guild now."

Vilkas looked at her seriously. "How could you steal things? Just take things that others have worked hard for?"

Lily was caught off-guard by this sudden challenge to her morals and ethics (or lack of). Vilkas put her instantly on the defensive.

"It's just stuff. Taking it doesn't really hurt anyone," She countered.

"You don't know that," Vilkas said quietly.

"Trust me, the rich lords and ladies won't miss the trinkets I've taken. They've got plenty more where that came from," Lily answered with a scowl.

"It's still wrong," Vilkas said, disgusted. "What drives a person to thievery in the first place? Did it thrill you to steal? Or was it pure greed?" He asked with a sneer.

"Runny porridge," Lily said.

"What?" Vilkas frowned at this total randomness.

Lily smirked. "I said runny porridge. If you must know, that's what started me on my life of crime."

Vilkas stared mutely at her in confusion, so Lily continued.

"Grelod the Kind got a stipend from the Jarls all five holds to pay for our food, clothing and education. Truth is, she pocketed most of the money. That's where the runny porridge came in. It was breakfast, lunch and dinner."

"So, you grew up at the Honorhall Orphanage," Vilkas said. He'd heard of Grelod the Kind and the orphanage. Riften was known for its seediness and corruption. The orphanage was just one more of the city's problems that no one ever bothered to fix.

Lily continued, "Yeah, I lived there from the time I was seven. Grelod would have a child mutiny on her hands, if the lack of food hadn't kept us so docile. One day we got hungry enough to try something crazy. When Grelod took her afternoon nap, we picked the lock on the back door and snuck into town. It was me, Rune and bug-eyed Lew. We got caught stealing food from the merchant stalls those first few times. Then we wised up and started stealing fish and clams from the docks. We had a good thing going on for a long while." Lily smiled at the memory. "We'd swim underwater and take the catch right from the nets, sight unseen."

"One of the old fishwives started a rumor that a monster was responsible for the stolen fish, some kind of water-imp. We started calling ourselves the "Dockside Imps" after that. Thought we were real tough." Lily's smile faded. "One day, bug-eyed Lew caught his foot in one of the nets and we couldn't get him free. We ran for help, but by the time the guards came he was dead. A year later Rune came of age and was released from Honorhall. The Thieves Guild took him in, and not long afterward they took me too."

Vilkas remained silent for a moment. Her confession brought back some memories of his own. Unfortunately, he knew what it was like to be a child torn away from family and struggling to survive.

"Farkas and I are also orphans." Vilkas admitted.

Lily looked up at him, surprised.

"The Companions rescued us from a den of necromancers when we were but 5 winters old. Jergen was the one who saved us and brought us to live at Jorrvaskr. Farkas still calls him our Father. All I know is that he left to fight in the Great War and didn't come back, and then he wasn't my problem anymore," Vilkas said.

Lily nodded. "Hurts like hell doesn't it."

Vilkas looked at her sharply, thinking she meant the words as an inappropriate jest, but her expression was far away.

"I know. I was angry at my parents too. It's not like they died and left me on purpose…but feelings can't be helped…" Lily said.

They both walked in silence for a while, lost in their own thoughts.

After some time Vilkas spoke, "Look up ahead. See that hill there with the standing stones? That is Dustman's Cairn."


	9. Proving Honor (Part 1)

Hi Everyone! Sorry this update is so late. I also re-wrote chapter 3 on Sept. 2nd.

Thanks again for reading and for your all your comments. Cheers!

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><p>When they approached Dustman's Cairn, Lily felt an odd chill run down her spine. <em>Serves me right for reading that damn book last night<em>, she thought. Within the ring of standing stones was a dark circular pit about 20 feet deep. The bottom was slightly muddy from a recent rainstorm and held the bones of a few unlucky creatures that had fallen in. An old stone stairway led down into the shadows to an ancient iron entrance door.

As they stepped into the first room of the cairn, Vilkas unsheathed his greatsword and scanned the area for enemies to confront, dead or alive. He wrinkled his nose. This place had the smell of must and rot. Lily pulled the hood of her cloak over her head and crouched down, her bow at the ready.

"Careful, someone has been in this room recently," Vilkas warned. In the dim light of the torches, he could see the room had been ransacked. Urns and pots were smashed and overturned, while debris were scattered on the floor. A couple of immobile draugr lay on the ground where they had been disrespectfully tossed from their iron coffins.

"Be on your guard," Vilkas said. He led Lily toward the stone doorway that would take them deeper into the cairn.

"Wait, there's a chest over here," Lily whispered. She tried the lid but it wouldn't budge. She set to work on it with lockpicks. Click-click. Click-click.

Several minutes later….

Click-click…snap!

"Shit!" Lily hissed in frustration.

"Just leave it," Vilkas said.

"I'm getting it…just give me another minute," she insisted.

"We haven't got all day!" Vilkas warned.

The sound of broken lockpicks snapped at Vilkas' nerves, but the lock finally gave way. Lily pried the lid open.

"What is it?"Vilkas asked.

She tossed him a health potion from the chest. "It may be the Silver Hand's supplies. There are shovels, lanterns and a few silver weapons in here. Hmm…" She unrolled a parchment.

"They were kind enough to leave us their map," she said, tossing the paper to Vilkas.

Vilkas studied it for a moment and said, "If the Silver Hand hasn't found the shard yet, it may be here in the main burial chamber." He pointed to a large room at one end of the map.

"How do you know?" Lily asked.

"We retrieved pieces from other burial sites over the years," Vilkas answered.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did Ysgramor's axe get broken in the first place?"

His irritation with Lily faded upon hearing one of his favorite topics. Vilkas loved history and lore, especially when it concerned the Companions.

He spoke with authority. "Nobody knows for sure. The details have been lost to history. But Wuuthrad has a strong enchantment on it and the mage who's been helping us track the shards said only another weapon of immense power could have shattered it."

"So, some great clash of legendary weapons? Would have been fun to be a fly on that wall," Lily mused.

"Aye. Evidence points to some great battle. Our blacksmith Eorland says he found the residue of some unknown metal on the shards," Vilkas added.

They made their way through an arched doorway and then down a dark, twisted passage. Moss and spiderwebs covered the damp stone walls. The cairn appeared to have been hewn straight from the rock. Knowing they were surrounded by tons of stone on all sides gave the place an even more oppressive feeling.

Vilkas listened for the telltale sound of enemies as they proceeded though the passage, but all he heard was Lily sigh.

They continued further into the passage and there it was again...That irritated little sigh.

"Ysmir, what is it now?" Vilkas asked. He turned to face Lily. She was hunkered down in the shadows with her bow in hand. Only her nose and mouth were visible beneath her hood.

"Must you clank so loudly? You'll literally wake the dead in here," she whispered urgently. "If you could walk a little slower, couch down a bit…"

"I do not _sneak_." Vilkas insisted, scowling.

"Don't knock it until you've tried it. Sneaking can be a life-saving maneuver," Lily said. She received a glare in response.

They came to a place where the tunnel sloped ominously downward. Vilkas could see that it led to a doorway about 20 yards ahead. The sickly light from a few candles flickered from within. With his keen eyesight, Vilkas spied a tripwire a few feet in front of this entrance.

"There's a trap up ahead," Vilkas warned.

"I see it." Lily said, raising her bow and arrow.

"Don't waste your arrow, from this distance you'll never hit-"

Before he finished his sentence, Lily fired her shot. The arrow sped forth and snapped the tripwire, releasing a trussed up log that swung ponderously from the ceiling.

"Pretty crude," she said. "Do you think the draugr left that for us or the Silver Hand?"

They made their way down the tunnel towards the mysterious room, careful to duck under the log-trap. Vilkas felt his skin prickle with gooseflesh as he stood at the doorway and peered into the chamber. Carved into the walls of the room were alcoves upon which lay the bodies of the dead. Most of the corpses were dusty and shriveled. A few looked a bit too heavily armed and armored for his liking. Vilkas became uneasy as he saw that this was not just a single chamber, but a series of connected rooms with doorways on all sides. He was about to look at the map again, when he heard the dreadful sound of shuffling. A draugr appeared in the doorway to his right.

The creature was clad in rusty armor of ancient Atmoran design. The ensemble was complimented by a wicked looking axe of dark metal with an edge that gleamed sharp and deadly in the dim candlelight. The draugr's skin had shriveled on its face with the ages, leaving gruesome hollow eye sockets and a morbid rictus smile. Time had ravaged the creature, yet it still had a luxurious red beard.

Red-Beard snarled at the sight of Vilkas. It shouted "RO DAH!" and Vilkas swayed on his feet for a moment under some unseen force. Two of the draugr's brethren now rose from their alcoves, hissing and snarling as they joined the fray. Vilkas roared in defiance and swung his longsword at these interlopers. Skyforge steel struck the sword arm clean off the first corpse, causing a clatter of bone and sword to hit the floor. His second swing removed the head of this unlucky draugr. Its partner hissed, backed away from Vilkas, then dropped its rusty sword and ran. It was a curious display of self-preservation from one already dead. Vilkas smirked. With the two weaker draugr out of the way, he could now concentrate on Red-Beard. The bearded draugr growled and charged forward, intent on cleaving Vilkas in two with that dark axe. Metal rang out as Vilkas raised his longsword and blocked the first attack. Red-Beard screeched in fury. The dark axe swung at his head a second time, and again Vilkas blocked it with his longsword. As Red-Beard rushed forward once more with axe raised, Vilkas kicked him in the chest, causing the draugr to stumble. In the seconds that the creature was off-balance, Vilkas swung his longsword in a deadly arc that cleaved Red-Beard in two, right through his midsection.

Vilkas caught his breath for a moment after the battle. He looked down at the corpses and was satisfied that for the moment, these particular draugr would not rise again.

His brow creased in irritation as he noted there were no arrows in the bodies and none on the ground around him. He turned towards the tunnel and glared at Lily, his anger rising. "A little help would be appreciated, unless you were planning to cower back there all day!"

"I would have been glad to help, if you'd move your metal ass out of the doorway." Lily retorted. "I couldn't get a clear shot with you blocking me!"

His anger cooled…slightly. "Next time, say something instead of just standing there."

Years of hunting with Aela had taught him to be careful of an archer's line of sight. But he was used to fair warning. "Get out of my way icebrain!" was usually sufficient.

Vilkas pulled out the map and studied it.

"There are more areas like this up ahead before we reach the main chamber. Be ready to face more draugr. We'll likely find the Silver Hand waiting for us as well. This way," He commanded, motioning Lily to follow him through the left doorway.

"Through this door," Vilkas ordered, pointing towards an iron bound wooden door at the end of the hall.

"Wait, what's this one then?" Lily asked. There was a nearly identical wooden door set in the stone wall to their left side. She tried the door handle and found it locked.

"Leave it. According to the map it's nothing, a small storage chamber perhaps." The moment he mentioned "storage chamber" Vilkas regretted it.

"Storage chamber?" Lily's expression lit up.

Vilkas groaned inwardly as Lily took out her lockpicks again. The tinkling and snapping sounds grated on his nerves for some time until the door gave way.

"There's a locked chest in here!" Lily exclaimed.

"Ysgramor's balls." Vilkas grumbled, running a hand impatiently through his dark hair.

Minutes seemed like hours to Vilkas as lockpicks clicked in his ears. He spoke. "By Ysmir what's taking you so long…I begin to understand why the Thieves Guild let you go."

Lily paused her work to glare up at him. "You think you can do better?" She challenged.

Vilkas swung his greatsword so fast it was a blur in front of her, chopping the lock off the chest in one sweep. She looked up at him with wide eyes.

"I couldn't stand waiting any longer," He said.

"Fine," Lily said. "Your way is a lot messier though." She paused to brush splinters of rotted wood off of her leathers and out of her hair.

She tossed out several rotted pieces of linen from the chest, then retrieved a bottle. She uncorked it and took a whiff.

"I think this is a Chameleon potion, a strong one from the smell of it."

"Then we just wasted a lot of time for nothing. Let's go," He said tersely.

They ventured deeper into the Cairn, through more dusty rooms and dark tunnels until they came upon a large, cavernous chamber. There were no alcoves with draugr here. The large room had several stone benches all facing a dais with a throne. Vilkas tensed as he noticed it was occupied.

It wasn't a draugr, just a skeleton sitting on the stone throne in a reclining position. However, bones could be animated by dark magic, a favorite hobby of necromancers. Lily and Vilkas approached the bony figure cautiously with their weapons drawn.

The bones remained comfortably seated on the throne, immobile.

"That's either the laziest undead ever or just a normal skeleton," Lily said, sheathing her bow.

"Aye," Vilkas agreed. His eyes scanned the room. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. It was as if someone was watching them.

"What's this?" Lily asked as she walked past the benches to the far side of the room. There was an archway leading into a small side-chamber. Lily stepped through the arch to investigate. A portcullis slammed down behind her, trapping her inside.

"Now what have you done?" Vilkas asked in irritation, striding over. "Let me look around and find a way to get you out."

"Take your time, I think I see another chest in here," She answered.

Vilkas sighed at that. _There must be a lever or switch out here_. His eyes scanned the walls of the chamber.

Lily was just about to try her luck on the lock of a large and promising wooden chest when she heard voices.

"Well, well, what do we have here…one of the illustrious Companions come to pay us a visit." A woman's voice taunted.

"Time to die, dog!" A male voice shouted.

Lily rushed to the portcullis and gripped the bars so tight her knuckles turned white.

She watched with dread as Vilkas was surrounded by a band of warriors, four men and two women all armed and armored. The weapons they brandished shone brightly in the candlelight. It was the Silver Hand.

Stuck behind the bars of the portcullis, she could not aid him. Lily's heart was in her throat.


	10. Proving Honor (Part 2)

Thanks again for your recent reviews everyone, it's much appreciated :)

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><p>"Where's the rest of your pack, cur!" A big blonde-haired man threatened.<p>

One of the women, a pretty brunette with cruel eyes cackled at Vilkas. "Aww, poor little wolfie is all alone." They hadn't noticed Lily.

The blonde man joined in her laughter, then held his silver blade at Vilkas' throat. He pressed it to his neck, drawing blood.

"We're going to skin you alive, dog, and send your carcass back to Jorrvaskr," He said.

Another man in their group grinned and said "Let's string him up first and take our sweet time. Cut his balls off and watch him howl. It will make a fine story back at our meadhall."

"Too bad you won't live long enough to tell the tale," Vilkas said. He stared at them coldly. The steel in his pale blue gaze was the only hint of the icy rage building within him.

Still trapped in the little room, Lily knocked an arrow and pulled back her bowstring. The bars of the portcullis were narrow and would probably ruin her shot, but she had to try. Lily had her sights trained on the blonde man who held the blade to Vilkas' throat. The Silver Hand warrior wasn't wearing a helmet. She stretched the bowstring, focusing intently on the blonde man's bare neck.

Then, it was like the hells of Oblivion broke loose.

One moment, the Silver Hand were laughing at Vilkas and threatening his life. In the next, Vilkas opened his mouth and let out a roar. Teeth elongated into fangs and coarse hair sprouted on his face. His armor fell away as bone and muscle contorted into powerful new forms. Where the man had been a moment ago, there was now a great dark-furred beast. He stood on two legs, seven feet tall and nearly as broad. The Silver Hand warriors were shouting and fighting him for their lives. Soon their shouts turned to screams. Vilkas tore them apart with fang and claw until what was left of the Silver Hand warriors was unrecognizable.

Lily's bow and arrow had been forgotten in her shock, dropped to the floor from nerveless fingers. She had seen death in battle before, but not like this…

Lily felt something wet. She touched her face and her hand came away red with someone else's blood. Her stomach roiled.

It was all over in a few short minutes. The mindless fury of the beastblood receded and Vilkas returned to his human form. He looked at the carnage around him and closed his eyes as remorse washed over him. He did not regret taking the lives of the Silver Hand, since they were ready to take his, but he had not intended to transform. In his cold fury he lost control and broke his promise to Kodlak. Somewhere in the endless hunting grounds, Hircine must be laughing.

Vilkas found a dusty old tapestry and used it to clean the blood from his body. He clad himself in his armor once more, relieved to feel its comfortable weight. After he retrieved his Skyforge steel greatsword and sheathed it on his back, Vilkas started to feel like himself again.

He turned his attention back to Lily and cursed to himself. He had no intention of revealing the Companion's secret to her. Could she be trusted to keep it?

When Vilkas approached the portcullis, Lily looked at him in fear and pressed herself against the back wall. Stuck behind the bars, she reminded him of a scared little mouse in a cage.

Vilkas sighed as the last of his anger dissipated. He didn't know why it bothered him to have Lily fear him, but it did.

"Lily," He said. "I know I must seem like a monster to you, but believe me when I say that I won't hurt you.

She looked at him with fear in her eyes. "You're a werewolf. How do I know you won't kill me as you killed them?" Her gaze dropped to the bloody carnage that now littered the floor of the chamber, and she paled.

The question offended Vilkas' sense of honor, even though he knew it came from simple ignorance.

His expression hardened. "I'm no murderer! I may be moonborn, but I still live by the honor of the Companions. We kill in battle when we must, when our lives are threatened. Had I not stopped them, the Silver Hand would have killed me and then you. But first, they would torture you to get your confession."

"My confession?"

"Aye. It's their way. They torture anyone they suspect of having Lycanthropy. If they kill a few innocents in the process, they believe it is justified. You heard them yourself. The kind of filth they attract to their ranks seem to enjoy it," Vilkas said with disgust.

Lily let out a shaky breath and looked at him in the eye. "Alright. Don't blame me for being a little…shocked. That scared the life out of me, but I believe you."

"In that case, we should get going. We still need to find the shard. Are you ready?"

Lily nodded and retrieved her bow from the floor. Vilkas found an iron ring near the door and pulled. The portcullis rose up with a loud clank.

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><p>As they ventured deeper into the darkness of the cairn, Lily remained unusually silent. There were no quips, snide remarks or inane chatter out of her. Vilkas should have been glad, but he felt a little guilty for frightening her.<p>

Finally, they came to an imposing set of iron double doors, the engravings so old and worn with age as to be unrecognizable.

Vilkas turned to Lily with a warning glance. "This should be the main chamber. Be on your guard."

They held their weapons at the ready as Vilkas placed a hand against the door and swung it open.

The scent of ancient decay assailed his senses, setting him immediately on edge. Something vile and evil lurked within this chamber. At the back of the gloomy candle-lit interior, a great word-wall dominated the room, the meaning of its ancient carvings now lost to history. In front of the word wall a large iron sarcophagus rested upon a dais. To the left and right of the room… row upon row of iron coffins stood as ominous sentries all the way from the dais down to the entrance where Vilkas stood.

He heard the sharp intake of Lily's breath as she peered into the chamber. After about 30 coffins, she'd stopped counting.

"Fire of Oblivion! I don't suppose the draugr will wake from their coffins nice and orderly? One at a time?"

The sardonic expression on Vilkas' face was her answer.

"Well, what's our strategy? Can we handle that many draugr at once?" Lily asked.

Vilkas was blunt. "I won't leave without that shard. I'll have victory or death this night. But I sure as Talos don't have time to hold your hand through the battle. You'll need to stay behind in that last room while I take care of this. If I don't make it, leave and report back to Kodlak."

Lily folded her arms and fixed Vilkas with a glare. "You'd have me wait back there and fail this Testing? No Thanks."

"You have a better idea?" Vilkas scoffed.

"I do. I borrowed a book from Kodlak, the one about the crazed mage who locked herself in with the draugr for a year to study them."

"Go on," Vilkas demanded.

"She used spells to sneak around and observe them," Lily said, retrieving a bottle from her pack. "They may be undead, but they are as susceptible to illusion as any living man or mer." She shook the bottle of Chameleon potion that she had retrieved from the chest earlier, watching the oily liquid splash within.

"See that wooden stairway and ledge on the left of the room? I quaff this potion and sneak up there with my bow. I'll have the advantage of higher ground and a good vantage point to pick off the draugr when you engage them. I can help you from the sidelines."

Vilkas frowned. It could just work. "Alright, we try it your way. Your aim better be good Whelp. "

Lily threw back her head and chugged the potion. She made a sour expression as all the bitter liquid went down. As Lily crouched and started to sneak into the room she slowly started to fade. It was as though her body took on the appearance of what was behind her. As she moved, the illusion cloaking her form would shift to match the background. Just watching it made Vilkas dizzy. He tightened his grip on the hilt of his longsword, and eyed the draugr's coffins instead. He was waiting for the creatures to burst forth in a snarling frenzy as Lily snuck past, but the room remained eerily calm.

Lily's shifting form snuck up the wooden stair on the left of the room. As she crouched on the ledge she became all but invisible. When Vilkas heard the telltale stretch of a bowstring, he knew that she was ready for him to begin.

Vilkas slowly stepped into the chamber with his greatsword ready. A loud "crack!" shattered the silence, followed by many more as the horde of draugr broke free from their coffins. The snarling creatures surged at Vilkas to press their attack. With his battle cry echoing in the room, Vilkas swung his blade, feeling the satisfying crunch of Skyforge steel meeting brittle bones and withered flesh.

In the haze of battle, Vilkas was aware of draugr jerking back as arrows slammed into their shriveled bodies. Some of the weaker draugr were felled outright by the deadly rain. Lily was helping to slow their advance, but still the horde came at him.

Up on the wooden ledge, Lily could feel the chameleon potion wearing off. The draugr were so preoccupied with Vilkas down on the floor that she doubted any would notice her re-appearance.

Her confidence wavered when she heard the unnerving sound of a large "Crack!" coming from the dais. She turned towards the sound just in time to see the lid of the sarcophagus fly off as a very large angry draugr in a horned helmet emerged.

_Don't see me… don't see me…Nocturnal don't let him see me._ Lily chanted to herself, but it was no avail. The malevolent eyes of the draugr lord turned upon Lily, glowing with rage and unholy magic.

From her position up on the ledge, she fired two arrows into its chest. The draugr lord merely pulled them out and kept advancing towards his prey. It stood at the base of the stair, just under the ledge and glared up at her. She heard an odd raspy sound from the draugr lord's throat. _Gods, is that thing…laughing?_ Then it raised its massive black sword and sliced clean though the supporting beam that held up the ledge Lily stood upon.

Lily barely had time to utter the F-word as she came crashing down towards the floor along with the all the broken wood. She let out a cry of pain as her shoulder smashed into the ground. Self-preservation won out over the pain, as she righted herself and drew her bow upon the draugr lord. She fired again and again as she backed away from him. The onslaught didn't slow the creature at all. "GAAN LAH!" it shrieked at her. Lily suddenly felt weak, drained of all energy. Her bow slid from her fingers. She stumbled back and fell to the ground. Lily watched with grim fascination as the draugr lord raised its black blade above her, ready to cleave her head in two. The creature shrieked again and Lily looked on in confusion as the dark blade fell with a clatter from its bony fingers. It was then that she noticed two feet of Skyforge steel piercing through the creature's chest. Vilkas impaled the draugr lord so hard he had lifted it clear off the ground. In a smooth motion, Vilkas slid his greatsword from the draugr lord's body and swung back around to sever its withered head from its corpse, horned helmet and all.

Still in a battle rage, Vilkas turned back to the few remaining draugr and rushed towards them with a yell. "I'll mount your fucking heads on my wall!"

Lily couldn't help but laugh, she was so shocked to still be alive. There were only three unfortunate draugr left from the original horde and Vilkas would soon put an end to them all. They had won!

She stood and walked up the dais, to a stone table just in front of the word wall. There, lying at the table's center was a piece of metal glimmering in the candle light. It was the shard of Wuuthrad that they had fought so hard to retrieve.

Lily swayed on her feet. She was still dizzy from being drained by the draugr lord. _What is that?_ She thought. It sounded like chanting.

Lily turned to take a closer look at the word wall, while the chanting seemed to grow louder in her mind, mesmerizing her.

She read the wall. "This stone commemorates King Jafnhar's child, who was burned alive by _**fire**_ of the great dragon Lo'Du'Nost." She wondered who King Jafnhar's child was and how the shard of Wuuthrad came to be in his tomb. She'd ask Vilkas later. The chanting seemed to grow louder and her head started to spin. Her eyes were pulled relentlessly to one word etched into the wall…"fire." Her eyes widened as the cold carved stone seemed to smoke and then come alive with flame. The chanting increased to a deafening crescendo as the word YOL blazed across her consciousness and the inferno consumed her.

Vilkas impaled the last of the draugr and kicked it away from him, sliding his sword free.

Still tense, he looked around at the carnage and saw with grim satisfaction that nothing now moved. The heaps of draugr remained lifeless where they had fallen to his blade. Vilkas noted with grudging respect that numerous arrows sprouted from these corpses, from eyes, chests, shoulders and joints. He had to admit that Lily's onslaught had been helpful at hindering the draugr's progress so that he could cut them down without being mobbed. He sheathed the greatsword on his back and turned around with a smirk, saying "Well, it seems you are not totally useless after all…"

Vilkas froze when turned around and didn't see Lily there. It was as though he was alone in the room. "Lily!" he called out. His sharp eyes discerned a small crumpled heap laying in front of the word wall. He ran up the stair and turned her over, feeling dread that he may have failed to bring his charge back from this Testing alive. However, his keen lupine senses told him otherwise. He could practically smell her heart beating and sense the flow of blood through her veins. The whelp was alive, but probably injured. It would be too dangerous to remain in the cairn. There was no telling when an incapacitated draugr might revive itself to battle once more. Vilkas cast his eyes across the dais and his gaze fell upon the stone table. He caught sight of a gleaming piece of metal in the candle light. He quickly pocketed the piece, then scooped up Lily in his arms and headed back towards the cairn's entrance.


	11. Fireside

I wanted to say thanks to everyone who left me advice and reviews (HereLies, Madam Mikey, M, White Wolf Writers). It was very helpful! :)

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><p>It was evening when Vilkas laid Lily down carefully at his chosen campsite. He set up a roaring fire to keep the chill of the night away and covered her with a fur blanket. Lily was still knocked out, but other than a gash on her temple she seemed uninjured. Vilkas rummaged through their packs and retrieved a jar of Tilma's healing salve. He brushed her tangled brown hair away from her face and carefully cleaned and dressed her wound. He sat back and looked at his handiwork, satisfied that the bandage on her temple would hold. Lily's eyes were closed, her long dark lashes resting like wings upon her pale cheeks. She looked softer in repose with her face bathed in the campfire light. Her plump rosy lips parted in a sigh. In that moment, there was a loveliness to her that Vilkas had never noticed before. Cautiously, he reached out and ran the back of one finger along her cheek. Her skin was as soft as it looked. Vilkas shook his head and smirked at his own foolishness. Ysmir, what's got into me?<p>

With Lily safely resting by the fire, Vilkas went down to a nearby stream to wash up. As he got close to the water, mudcrabs rushed forward to defend their territory, clicking aggressively and brandishing sharp claws. Vilkas growled and smashed the shell of the first creature within reach, sending its friends skittering away in fear. He removed his steel armor and stripped to his bare skin. Sadly, mudcrabs were the only ones to witnesses the magnificent sight of his well muscled nude form bathed in Masser and Secunda's light. He lowered himself into the shallow water, letting out a grateful sigh as the waters flowed over him. It had been a difficult job and it felt good to wash away all the dirt, grime and blood.

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><p>Back at camp, Vilkas pulled on a comfortable pair of tundra cotton trousers and sat near the fire. He took out a cloth and carefully started to clean his armor.<p>

The evening sky shone with a million stars. The cool, crisp air was filled with the gentle sounds of the night; the babble of the nearby stream, the swish of grass from a passing fox, the distant hoot of an owl. Vilkas was just appreciating how peaceful it was out here on the plains, when Lily woke from her slumber with a loud shriek.

"Good Gods woman, you want me to lose my hearing!?" Vilkas complained.

Lily looked around in confusion, slowly taking her surroundings. She saw Vilkas sitting across from her by the campfire, glaring at her as he polished one of his pauldrons. The impertinent retort she was about to throw back at him was quickly forgotten as she caught sight of his bare chest and muscular arms in the moonlight.

She pulled her eyes away. "Uhm, sorry about that. I dreamt of fire. When I woke up, I thought I was still burning."

"Well, you're safe now. We're camped just south of the cairn."

"So, what happened? I remember you killing the draugr lord, then I was looking at the word wall…and then…" Lily frowned. The memory seemed to float away like smoke.

"I found you unconscious next to the word wall," Vilkas confirmed. "I think you may have hit your head."

Lily reached up and discovered the bandage wrapped around her temple.

"So, you're telling me that you saved my life by slaying the draugr lord, then you carried me out of the cairn on your back, and bandaged my head…" Lily paused to sniff the air and noticed a cookpot on the fire. "You cooked mudcrab stew for dinner on top of all that?" She laughed, a bright and genuine sound. Her expression softened as she looked at Vilkas. "Thank you," She said with a little smile.

Vilkas nodded to her in acknowledgement. "We got what we came for," he said

Lily's smile faded. "The shard. May I see it?"

Vilkas rummaged in his pack and handed Lily a sharp triangular piece of metal.

Lily took the shard and turned it over in her hand a few times, noting its finely etched surface. One more piece of the puzzle that will lead me back home, she thought grimly.

"There's one thing I don't understand. What was a shard of Wuuthrad doing in a tomb full of draugr? The draugr served the old dragon worshipers, right?" Lily asked.

Vilkas paused from cleaning his armor to regard Lily with surprise. Few warriors cared to know the history behind their missions. Lily's curiosity sparked his own love of the lore.

Vilkas set down his armor and spoke, "Draugr are men and women who were condemned to spend eternity in service to a dragon priest, sustaining their master with their own life force. We're lucky we did not find the dragon priest in the cairn. They are among the most dangerous undead you will ever face in Skyrim. It's likely they did not build Dustman's Cairn themselves, but took it over as it suited them."

"I get it. These dragon priests were lazy. Why spend ages carving a base out of solid rock when someone has already done it."

"Aye. It may have once been the tomb of one of Ysgramor's heirs. Sometime after Wuuthrad was shattered, it was tradition for his decedents to be buried with a piece of the axe."

"Who's King Jafnhar then?"

"King Jafnhar?" Vilkas asked, puzzled.

"Yeah, I read the word wall and it said it was in commemoration of King Jafnhar's child or somesuch."

Vilkas huffed. "That's impossible, the word walls are written in the ancient dragon language. None now live who can read it, except maybe the Greybeards up on High Hrothgar."

"No, it was in plain old Cyrodiilic. I could read it clearly."

"Like I said, I think you bumped your head. Maybe you dreamed of the wall when you were knocked out," Vilkas suggested.

Lily frowned, trying to remember. "You might be right. Well, I didn't conduct myself very heroically, passing out and all. Are you going to fail me in this Testing?"

"I…haven't decided yet," Vilkas answered.

"After all that, you're going to leave me in suspense?" Lily complained.

Vilkas gave her an appraising look. "You held your own and you're a good archer, I will give you that. But I'm not certain you have the right skills for the Companions."

"What do you mean? I've got plenty of skills. I had nearly 10 years of training back at the Thieves Guild," She protested.

Vilkas sighed. "That's what I mean. All this…sneaking around, picking locks…it's not what we do. The Companions are hired for warrior's work: rescues, protecting citizens from monster attacks, retrieving lost family heirlooms. We help others. I don't see how you can aid others, nor bring honor to the Companions with the skills of a thief."

"You think it's not possible for a thief to have honor and help others? What about Gentleman Jim Stacey then?" She countered.

Vilkas looked at her wearily. "Who?"

"Gentleman Jim Stacey, the legendary Redguard thief who used to steal from the corrupt and give to the poor in Morrowind. Never heard of him eh? I thought you had a broader knowledge of lore, Sir."

Vilkas smirked. "I don't believe it. It's probably a tale made up by a guilty thief to make themselves feel better. Can you say that you've ever helped anyone with your skills but yourself?"

_No, I can't say that I ever have._ For the first time in her petty criminal career, Lily felt a little ashamed. She evaded the awkward subject. "You're really going to fail me in this Testing just because I sneak around and pick locks?"

"That is to be decided when we return," He said coolly.

_Shit. That's the end of me then, _she thought. "Very well, since my future with the Companions is uncertain, there's one thing I wanted to make clear. Whether I pass this Testing and join you or not, your secret is safe with me. I would never reveal to anyone that you're a…well…you know…" she shifted uncomfortably on her blankets.

"A werewolf." Vilkas finished for her. Lily was surprised to hear a hint of bitterness in his voice. For a moment, she thought she saw a flash of both anger and guilt in his eyes.

"Are all of the Companions werewolves?" Lily blurted in curiosity.

"Look, I don't want to talk about it. When we return you should speak with Kodlak. Let's get some rest before sunrise," Vilkas said tersely. He put his armor to the side and lay down by the fire, his silent muscular back towards Lily.


	12. That the World Might Never Overtake Us

Author Note: Thanks again to everyone for your reviews and for continuing to read this story. You've really encouraged me to keep going! Wishing you all a Happy New Year!

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><p>It was a bright afternoon when Vilkas and Lily returned to Jorrvaskr. Sunlight shone on the distinctive building with its ship's-hull roof, giving it an almost golden hue. Inside, news of their arrival spread like wildfire. Soon the main hall was crowded with Companions, warmly welcoming them home and pressing mugs of ale into their hands. Lily noticed a stranger amongst them. Standing near Athis, there was a slender Dunmer male clad in a brown, hooded robe.<p>

When Vilkas confirmed that the shard of Wuuthrad had been rescued from Dustman's Cairn, the whole room erupted in a deafening cheer.

Skjor came over and slapped Vilkas on the back saying, "Good job, we knew you would do it."

Lily smiled shyly as Aela and Ria congratulated her on a mission well done. The genuine warmth of their regard and the joy on everyone's faces sent a stab of guilt into Lily's heart.

Ria ran outside to get Eorlund from the Skyforge. When the blacksmith arrived, he reverently took the shard from Vilkas and affixed it to the wall along with the other pieces of Ysgramor's legacy.

Skjor smiled broadly at everyone. His one good eye shone with pride as he raised his mug and addressed his shield siblings. "Let us toast to the deeds of our warriors. First Athis saves Dawnstar, and then Vilkas and Lily return another shard of Wuuthrad to us!"

Ale sloshed onto the carpets as Companions raised their mugs and shouted "here here!"

"Dawnstar?" Vilkas asked.

"Indeed. While you were gone, Athis saved the town of Dawnstar from a daedric curse," Skjor confirmed.

Athis grinned. "Don't forget, I had the help of a friend. Vilkas, Lily, may I introduce Erandur."

The strange Dunmer in the brown priest's robes stepped forward. "Blessings of Mara upon you." He bowed in Vilkas and Lily's direction.

Vilkas listened in stunned silence as Athis told the tale of how he and Erandur destroyed a daedric artifact of Vaermina, saving the town of Dawnstar from a curse of unending nightmares. Erandur was not only a priest of Mara, but also a talented healer. He agreed to visit Jorrvaskr for a few days to see if Kodlak's illness could be cured.

When Athis finished, Vilkas stepped up to him and clapped him on the shoulder. "You bring honor to the Companions Shield-Brother. We are likewise honored to have your friend Erandur visit our hall." Vilkas turned to the priest. "Thank you for agreeing to aid our Harbinger. "

Erandur bowed once more.

"Are you sure I can't get you something to drink?" Athis asked Erandur.

He declined, "No thank you. The only spirit I partake of is that of Mara's benevolence and love."

Njada snickered on hearing Erandur's words. She shrugged when Athis glared in her direction.

Skjor pulled Vilkas aside and said quietly, "Kodlak asked to see you as soon as you've returned."

Vilkas nodded. "I will speak with him now." Lily watched as he strode away and headed downstairs to the living quarters.

Lily yelped when she felt a large friendly hand slap her on the shoulder, nearly pitching her forward.

"Nice work Lily," Farkas said with a grin.

Lily rubbed her shoulder. "My thanks Farkas. So what happens now?"

"At dusk we'll have the ceremony. That's when it's decided if you become a Companion or not. Don't look so worried. You and Vilkas brought the shard back. I'm sure by tonight I'll be calling you my Shield Sister."

After what Vilkas had said to her at the camp last night, she wasn't so certain. If Vilkas rejected Lily at the ceremony, she would have to leave the Companions. Stealing Wuuthrad would become nigh impossible unless it was an inside job. Mercer wouldn't allow her back into the Thieves Guild without that axe. And then…what would she do? Fear of the unknown tugged at her.

"I need to go to Belethor's. I have to restock my supplies," She said suddenly.

The big man looked puzzled. "Now? Alright, but make sure to get back by dusk. We'll be waiting," Farkas said.

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><p>Down in Kodlak's room, the Harbinger was in his usual spot pouring through the books and scrolls on his desk. Vilkas took a seat across from him.<p>

The old warrior's face lit up with a smile. "Vilkas my lad! I'm glad to see you've returned. I understand we have another shard of Wuuthrad, all thanks to you and Lily."

"Aye," Vilkas said. But instead of being the picture of pride, the Companion could hardly meet Kodlak's eyes.

"Vilkas?" Kodlak asked, concerned. "What troubles you boy?"

Vilkas met Kodlak's gaze and said, "Harbinger, I have failed you. During the mission to Dustman's Cairn, I was surrounded by the Silver Hand. They taunted me and I lost my temper. I transformed, though I promised you I would give it up. The call of the blood is so strong in me. I don't know if I can do this." The shame of it weighed heavily upon his heart.

"Vilkas. Do not let these things trouble you so. We all feel the call. We may fall to the temptation of the curse from time to time, despite what we have vowed. I have. So has your brother." Vilkas looked up in surprise at this revelation.

Kodlak continued, "It is but one skirmish in a long battle. Do not punish yourself over it my boy. The curse is our burden to bear, but together we can overcome it."

"I will do my best, Harbinger."

"Soon, Vilkas, our suffering will be over. The cure is very close at hand. I am sure of it, especially now that Lily is with us."

"Lily?" Vilkas frowned in confusion.

"Aye. I did not mention this before, for fear you might think it the ravings of an old man. It's time that I tell you. I had the nightmare, as I often do, that I had died and been denied entry to Sovngarde. This time, before Hircine's great wolf could pull my soul to the hunting grounds, a fire dragon blazed across the sky and perched on the rocks above us. When I looked again it was not a dragon, but a woman armed with a bow. She fired a burning arrow at the great wolf, piercing its heart. The beast was slain and we were freed from Hircine's dominion. It was Lily I saw. She is the archer from my dreams. I tell you truly, she has some role to play in curing the Companions of this curse. Lily must become one of us Vilkas.

Vilkas was silent a moment as his mind absorbed this news. Could it be true? Or was it only the dream of an ailing old warrior, made desperate from years of suffering and searching for their cure? Could Vilkas risk dismissing Lily, if Kodlak may be right?

Kodlak broke the silence. "One more thing I must tell you, Vilkas. The priest that Athis brought from Dawnstar came to see me yesterday. Erandur is a skilled healer, yet he could not cure what ails me. The lad also has more experience with the Daedra than most. He believes this is no ordinary sickness, but a curse of Hircine in retribution for my efforts to free the Companions from his grasp. If the Lycanthropy is cured, there is a chance I may also be free of this illness. Think of it Vilkas. I could be whole again. I could be well enough to wield a sword and shield in my hands once more.

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><p>At Belethor's General Store, Lily bought iron arrows, paper and a stick of charcoal. The Whiterun locals didn't trust Belethor, but Lily liked the old Breton. He reminded her of her Father, who had been a merchant during his life.<p>

Out of curiosity, she blurted, "Belethor, do you ever hire workers for your shop?"

He shook his head. "No, I've had Sigurd working here for over 10 years. Truth is, it's hard to find work in the holds when you're an outsider. Most jobs are taken by locals. You looking for a job? I thought you were with the Companions?"

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><p>After the purchase, Lily made her way over to the Honningbrew Meadery. She pretended to peruse the owner's new fruit-infused meads in the tasting room. While doing so, she nodded to a sour-faced worker who swept the floor in the next room.<p>

Outside in the shadow of the boilery building, Lily leaned against the wall waiting for Mallus Macius to appear. After a few minutes Mallus arrived, looking rather oily and sly as ever.

He greeted her. "Well, well, if it ain't the Companion's little lap-dog. What can Mallus do for you today?" He smirked.

"Yeah, funny. I'll make it quick, so you can get back to more important things, like sweeping up dirt. I was wondering if there was any news for me, from Riften."

"Maybe be there is and maybe be there isn't," Mallus replied, leaning against the wall and examining the dirt beneath his fingernails.

Lily sighed and surrendered 10 septims to him.

Mallus pocketed the coins and smiled, "Sorry, it seems I ain't got nothing."

"What!? You low down skeever!" Lily clenched her fists and turned scarlet.

He shrugged, "I said "maybe" and you took your chance."

Lily groaned. A Thieves Guild member would never be treated this way by one of their own, but as a lowly cast-off she was free game.

Her irritation slowly settled into worry. Over three weeks ago, Vex was to join Mercer in that Snow Veil Sanctum job to try and stop the dangerous renegade, Karliah. Since then, Lily sent Vex another letter but heard nothing. Surely Vex would have returned by now? Lily fought down a growing sense of unease. Well, they've probably just forgotten about me. Out of sight, out of mind right?

"Hang on," Lily ordered Mallus. She took out her charcoal and paper, and hastily scrawled a note.

"I need to get this message over to Brynjolf as soon as possible," Lily said.

Mallus held out his greasy hand and Lily dug deeply into her pockets once more.

* * *

><p>When Lily opened the large double entrance door of Jorrvaskr, Tilma was the sole person in the warmth of the main hall, stirring a large pot of stew over the fire.<p>

The old woman looked up from her work with a kindly expression. "Oh, you're back dear. You're just in time. They're all outside now. Better not keep them waiting."

Lily sighed and headed through Jorvaskrr's imposing back doors.

Outside, torch lights flickered in the dusk. An aurora borealis blazed across the sky in a ribbon of blue and gold fire. All of the Companions stood together in a circle out on the practice yard. Even Kodlak was there, standing at the head of the circle, clad in his wolf-themed steel armor and kilt.

"Come forward Lily" Kodlak called to her. She walked into the center of the circle.

After a few awkward moments of silence, Aela whispered to her "State your full name and family heritage. Then tell us that you want to be a Companion."

Lily cleared her throat nervously. "I am Lilysara Maurard, orphaned daughter of Alain and Fasile Maurard, born from a long line of junk merchants from High Rock. I wish to become a Companion."

Kodlak's voice rang out, "Brothers and sisters of the Circle, today a new soul asks to join our mortal fold. This woman has endured, challenged and shown us her valor. Who will speak for her?"

_Well, this is it._ Lily thought. She looked at Vilkas' stoic expression, his cool blue eyes unreadable. She expected Vilkas to go over the reasons why she wasn't worthy of the Companions, why she should be dismissed, right here in front of everyone.

Vilkas spoke clearly, "I stand witness to the courage of the soul before us."

Lily's eyes widened in surprise.

Kodlak continued, "Would you raise your shield in her defense?"

Vilkas answered, his ice-blue gaze fixed upon Lily's face. "I would stand at her back, that the world might never overtake us."

It was only the traditional speech of the initiation, but hearing Vilkas speak these words of devotion affected her deeply. Lily's heart fluttered and she felt her cheeks grow hot. "_Gods, I need to get a grip on myself. It's an initiation ceremony, not my wedding ceremony!"_

Kodlak's voice rang out again, "and would you raise your sword in her honor?"

" It stands ready to meet the blood of her foes," Vilkas replied.

" and would you raise a mug in her name?" Kodlak asked.

" I would lead the song of triumph as our mead hall reveled in her stories," Vilkas answered.

Kodlak smiled and cast his eyes over all of the assembled Companions. "Then the judgment of this Circle is complete. Her heart beats with the fury and courage that have united the Companions since the days of the distant green summers. Let it beat with ours, that the mountains may echo and our enemies may tremble at the call."

" It shall be so," Vilkas answered.

"It shall be so!" the Companions called out, one after the other.

Kodlak smiled at Lily. "Well girl, you're one of us now. I have faith in you and I know you will do great things for the Companions."

Before Lily could reply to Kodlak, Torvar's voice broke in, "Congratulations Lily. Now let's all celebrate with drinks!"

Everyone agreed to that sentiment and headed inside Jorrvaskr towards the delicious smell of Tilma's stew.

* * *

><p>Around the table, the Companions shared mead and stories to celebrate the initiation of their new shield sister.<p>

"So after Vilkas killed the draugr lord, you were knocked out?" Farkas asked.

"I'm not sure, but when I woke up I had this shiner on my head," Lily pointed to her forehead. "And yeah, Vilkas carried my sorry ass out of there like some kind of hero out of a maiden's tale."

There were hoots and chuckles around the table at this, causing Vilkas to scowl. He might think what she said was a jest at his expense, but to Lily, Vilkas truly was a hero.

Aela had a rather mischievous look on her face, as she said, "Lily, you received a letter while you were away at Dustman's Cairn. It's from Anoriath."

Lily frowned. "Anoriath? What could he want?"

Aela handed her a folded letter. Lily looked at it like it was a viper ready to strike. Shit. Anoriath. The merchant she punched out in the marketplace. Did he want a rematch? Or maybe this was notice of a complaint to the Jarl for damages? She'd paid for the mess she'd made of Carlotta Valencia's vegetable stall, but not Anoriath's. SHIT!

She took the letter from Aela's hands and unfolded it. Inexplicably, Ria broke into a giggle from the other side of the table.

As Lily read the letter her expression grew troubled. "Ok, are you guys playing a jest on me?" she asked, casting a suspicious glance all around.

"What does it say?" asked Athis.

Aela smiled. "He's asked her to meet him at the Bannered Mare this Tirdas…for dinner." The huntress raised an eyebrow suggestively.

Athis burst into laughter.

"You guys read my letter?" Lily complained.

"Sorry Lily. You'll learn there's not much privacy to be had as a Companion. Ysgramor himself couldn't keep a secret from this rabble." Aela grinned.

Lily put her head into her hands, "By the Gods, how is this possible? Is punching someone in the face part of a Bosmer courtship ritual or what!?"

Athis answered, "Well, you could always send Njada in your place. The man must be a glutton for punishment."

"Piss off, he's not my type!" Njada said, throwing a fork at Athis' head.

Athis dodged the projectile and only laughed harder.

"Well, are you going to meet with him Lily? He is kind of handsome," Ria admitted.

"I'm not sure yet. It wasn't that long ago we were trying to kill each other with gourds and tomatoes," Lily answered. Her eyes sought out Vilkas almost of their own accord. She watched as he silently got up from the table and left the room, not looking at her even once.


	13. Questions and Answers

Hi everyone! I'm sorry for the long delay in getting back to this story. Thank you so much for your reviews since the last chapter. It was very much appreciated!

These past few months work and school has been kicking my butt. I hope to have more regular updates now that we are in the Summer.

* * *

><p>Kodlak sat at his desk, frowning over an old text about the Glenmoril Witches Coven, when he heard a rap at his door.<p>

"Come in!" He answered, setting the book aside.

Lily peeked around the door, holding a tray with a potion bottle.

"Harbinger, Tilma sent me down here with your medicine."

"My thanks Lily. Put it there on my table. How go the celebrations?"

Lily set the tray on the table and said, "The celebration is winding down. Everyone's gone to their beds, except for Torvar. He uh, chose to sleep at the table."

Kodlak sighed. "That lad has an unholy appreciation for strong ale and mead."

"Harbinger, I… need to speak with you about something."

Kodlak nodded. "Aye. I understand you've been allowed to know some secrets before your time. Well girl, bring that chair over and have a seat by me."

Lily took a seat across from the Harbinger and continued, "So, I guess Vilkas told you what happened during my testing?"

Kodlak looked at her with his kind old eyes and said, "I know that Vilkas transformed during your mission to Dustman's Cairn. In truth, I was expecting you to come here seeking answers. What would you ask of me?"

"Are all the Companions werewolves?"

"Not all," Kodlak confirmed. "Only members of the Circle share the blood of the beast."

Lily made a mental note of the information. It meant that Kodlak himself was a werewolf, along with Vilkas, Farkas, Aela and Skjor.

Lily looked puzzled as she continued, "I've been reading the "Songs of the Return" that you lent to me. I'm up to volume 42 now, but I don't recall anything about this in your history. Have the Companions always been so aligned with Hircine?"

"NO!" Kodlak's reply was a strong denial, and his hands formed into fists. Lily was surprised by the vehemence of his response.

Kodlak sighed and slowly unclenched his fists. He responded more gently, "As a group, we are not aligned with Hircine, though some have taken more strongly to the blood than others. It was a short sighted decision by one of our Harbingers of old, Terrfyg. He thought it would make us stronger. Instead, it has weakened us and barred our souls forever from the Hall of Valor. The souls of all werewolves belong to Hircine. Some may see Hircine's hunting ground as a paradise, but my soul yearns for Sovngarde."

Lily cast her gaze at the various books, tomes and scrolls scattered in Kodlak's office. The titles of several books claimed information on lycanthropy, Hircine, magical curses and the like.

"You've been searching for a cure, haven't you," Lily said.

Kodlak nodded. "Aye. And I am very close to an answer. But enough of this, Lily. I do not wish to trouble you with these burdens, when you are so newly joined." He smiled sadly. "This is the time when you should be enjoying your first days as a Companion. Leave these troubles to me for now. One day, we may speak of it again."

* * *

><p>Lily was still asleep in her narrow bed in the whelp's quarters, when she was rudely awakened by the clang of metal on metal. The sound seemed to bounce off the inside of her skull.<p>

"What in Oblivion…" She cracked open an eyelid and saw Athis standing by her bed, holding an iron practice sword in each hand.

"I'm hungover and sleeping it off!" Lily complained. But as she burrowed further into the bed and closed her eyes again, Athis clanged the blades together more insistently.

Lily groaned and tried to pull the fur blanket over her head, but the Mer would not go away.

"Wake up Lily, the early guar takes the kwama! It's practice time!" He announced with a grin.

* * *

><p>The next few days passed in a blur of blades for Lily. Athis kept to his word and woke her at the crack of dawn each morning for training in dual wielded blades.<p>

During one of these sessions, Farkas watched their training while leaning against the back wall of the practice yard. He shook his head and smiled.

"Find something amusing, my big friend?" Athis asked.

Farkas grinned. "Don't let me interrupt. You guys look like you're having fun with those little knives."

"Ha! These are shortswords my massive Shield Brother. Sharp and quick like a razorfish against a whale." Athis executed some elegant moves at top speed. Lily grunted and grit her teeth as she struggled to fend off this demonstration with her clumsy counter moves.

"Yeah, but I thought whales eat razorfish," Farkas replied.

"They do…but they always come to regret it," Athis answered confidently.

Lily yelped as Athis hit her shins with the blunt of his blades, sending her sprawling inelegantly to the ground. _Shit. How did I not see that one coming?_

Athis offered Lily a hand and pulled her up from the ground. "Bigger lads like Farkas are well built for heavy weapons like greatswords and hammers. But as a smaller warrior, you need strategies suited to your build. Speed and agility are among the only advantages you'll have. Just one well placed hit from two-hander can end your days for good. Make sure you fight faster…and smarter."

Lily nodded her head as she brushed the dirt from her leather armor.

She thanked Athis and headed inside Jorrvaskr for a late lunch. She felt disappointed in her progress, but Athis assured her that she just needed to give it more time.

* * *

><p>No one else was in the dining hall that afternoon except for Aela and Njada. Lily took an empty seat at the opposite end of the table and piled her plate with food. She had the nagging feeling that she was forgetting something. Then it hit her. <em>It's Tirdas today. Shit!<em> The dinner with Anoriath is tonight! Lily suddenly felt extremely nervous. _Maybe I shouldn't go. I could eat this whole plate of sweetrolls and claim a stomach ache._

At the other end of the table, Aela and Njada were having a friendly conversation…

"So, I've been hearing rumors…about you and Skjor," Njada drawled, smirking across the table at Aela in the dining hall.

"What!" Aela's silver eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in outrage at the gossipy warrior. "If you don't want to lose your ears, you'll keep those rumors to yourself!" Aela snapped.

True, Skjor was handsome, strong and kind. But Aela respected him far too well to ever cross that line. In the years since Aela's mother died, Skjor had been her mentor, friend and trusted brother of the hunt.

Aela shifted in her chair in an uncharacteristic show of nerves. "It's not like it's forbidden…but nothing is going on between me and Skjor," She reaffirmed. The color was beginning to rise in her cheeks.

"If you say so," Njada grinned, leaving to go outside and practice.

"Hircine's horns, some people have nerve," Aela muttered, glaring after her nosy shield-sister.

Aela quickly glanced around the dining hall, to see if any other busy-bodies had been listening in. Everyone had finished lunch and gone out, except for Lily. The newblood sat at the other end of the table, wearing a troubled expression while clutching a mug of mead in a death grip. Aela walked over and sat next to her.

"Lily? You alright?" Aela asked.

Lily looked up from her mug. "Oh, sure. I'm fine. Everything's fine," She answered in a rush.

It was then that Aela remembered. She smiled and broached the subject. "So, tonight's the night? Are you ready for your dinner with Anoriath?"

"I…guess so," Lily answered with unease.

"You should probably start getting ready. What will you wear?" Aela asked.

"Oh, I don't need to get ready. I'll just wear what I have on," Lily replied.

Aela's brow wrinkled as she took in the sight of Lily's tired, stained old leathers and messy brown hair tied back in a ponytail.

"Lily, I hope you won't mind me asking, but have you ever gone out with a man before? You seem nervous."

"Huh? Of course I have!" Lily protested. Her cheeks burned scarlet for a moment. Lily shifted her gaze around the hall to make sure there was no one else around to listen in. She continued in low tones, "Look, the truth is I'm not good at this stuff." She confided even more, "I thought I was in love once. It was great, till I caught the horker's-ass in bed with my rival. Anyhow, he was my friend for so many years the romance was almost an accident. He never took me to dinner or any of this courtship crap. I don't even know what I'm doing," Lily grumbled.

Aela nodded in sympathy. "I hear you, Shield Sister. Even the strongest woman can have their heart laid low by a cheating lover." The expression that burned for a moment in Aela's gaze made Lily wonder if the huntress spoke from some experience.

Aela placed an encouraging hand on Lily's shoulder and said, "Lily, what you need to do is forget about him, pick yourself up and get back into the hunt! Believe me, it will do you good to go out to dinner with Anoriath this night. I'll help you get ready. Meet me in my quarters after you've finished your lunch."

* * *

><p>Aela strode outside, her eyes scanning the practice yard, until they fell on Ria. She was out on the yard training with Vilkas. The two circled each other, wielding heavy two-handed swords. Ria was used to one-handed weapons and shields. The weight of the enormous longsword was unfamiliar to her and she was having difficulty keeping the blade steady.<p>

Vilkas cast a critical blue eye upon his wobbly trainee and shook his head. "You look ready to fall over before the battle has even begun. Are you intending to make your enemies laugh themselves to death? Move your left hand lower on the hilt. Make your back straighter and your feet farther apart. There, your balance is much better."

Before Ria had the chance to respond, Aela interrupted them.

"Ria, I need your aid. We've got a challenging mission on our hands. Bring every warpaint and hair potion you own and meet me in my quarters right away."

The two women hurried off, leaving Vilkas alone in the practice yard looking after them with a puzzled expression.


End file.
